


Evil Takes a Vacation

by StarvingLunatic



Category: Kim Possible (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst, Break Up, Drama, Dry Humping, Emotional Manipulation, F/F, First Time, Jealousy, Lesbian Sex, Manipulation, Mind Manipulation, Ninja, Novella, Protectiveness, Rare Pairings, Romance, Slice of Life, Wordcount: 30.000-50.000
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-08-17
Updated: 2009-11-21
Packaged: 2019-02-14 23:09:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 43,105
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13018131
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarvingLunatic/pseuds/StarvingLunatic
Summary: Sequel toThe Price of Honor.SheOri. Yori's been living with Drakken and Shego for a year now. When Yamanouchi calls her back, will she stay at her school or fight for her new life? Will Shego fight for Yori?





	1. A Year Later

**Author's Note:**

> I don’t own these characters; Disney does.
> 
> A/N: This is the sequel to my SheOri story [The Price of Honor](http://archiveofourown.org/works/11711115). You might want to read that before reading this one. It might help explain why the characters are a little OOC, but then again, it might not. Either way, you'll find the characters to be a little OOC.

Cover art by [Alexayer](https://alexlayer.deviantart.com/); [Evil Takes a Vacation](https://alexlayer.deviantart.com/art/Evil-Takes-a-Vacation-152497079). Please, leave any comments of the artwork on the artist's deviantart page.

Evil takes a Vacation

1: A Year Later

“Shego, Yori, it’s time!” Drakken bellowed, throwing his hands in the air and tilting his head back, laughing joyously… or maniacally. It was always hard to tell with him. 

“Doctor D, what the hell are you yelling about now?” Shego inquired with a frown as she marched into the main control room of their current lair. It was not the best lair they had, but it was not a dump either. It was still standing, making it a plus to Drakken.

They had lost quite a few lairs in the past year, but Drakken did not seem too bothered by it beyond the fact that they needed to keep moving or he lost equipment. He could now afford moving about, though. Without having to pay a horde of henchmen, he was actually saving money. It would seem he had made a good decision to fire all of the henchmen and hire Yori, even though he did not think it was such a good idea early on. Not to mention, he did not know Yori was the main reason he lost so many lairs.

Drakken was about to respond, but when his eyes fell on Shego, he thought she knew what he meant. She appeared to be dressed for it and everything. He grinned, which got wider when he noticed Yori pop up behind Shego. She also looked prepared for what the night held. He actually jumped up and down like a delighted child, making a strange happy hum. Shego regarded Drakken with a half-sneer and an arched eyebrow. What the hell was wrong with Drakken? He was acting weirder than usual.

“It’s Friday,” Yori reminded Shego, who had to turn around and look at the ninja.

Yori had on a cute outfit, as cute had become her thing. There was a black skirt with flora print and a pink shirt with black suspenders. Even her boots were cute since she had taken the time to put Pokemon decals on them. Shego was slightly embarrassed she knew what Pokemon was, but she knew Yori’s favorite things. A lighthearted smile adorned Yori’s face and realization slapped Shego in the head.

“No, no, no.” Shego shook her head emphatically and waved her hands to let them know that was not happening, not _this_ Friday.

“Yes, yes, yes. We’ve got to get going soon, and I’m happy you’re dressed for it for once!” Drakken clapped his hands and danced on his toes as his grin damn near split his face open.

Shego looked down at her outfit. Nothing she had on was for what he planned. She wore casual clothing with her usual colors, black pants and boots with an emerald form-fitting shirt. Her black leather jacket was resting on her left arm, prepared to put it on when she got to the front entrance of the lair. She rolled her eyes and another sneer tugged at her lips.

“I’m not dressed for that silly crap. Why the hell do you think I would ever, in a million years, voluntarily put on my good clothes for something so stupid? It’s beyond silly,” Shego replied. She would ask what he was smoking, but she did not have the time, the chart paper, or the crayons necessary to explain him what that type of insult meant.

“It’s not silly!” Drakken had the nerve to glare at her. 

Shego would not have paid him any mind if only Yori had not shouted the same thing. Yori folding her arms over her chest and giving Shego a stern look did not help. Shego groaned and ran her hand over her face while shaking her head. Over their time together, Yori and Drakken had bonded over the most annoying activity that Shego could think of — karaoke. The first time Drakken took Yori to sing karaoke, the ninja fell in love with it, really upsetting the balance in Shego’s universe. 

Well, actually, karaoke was also a good thing in Shego’s life, not that she would ever admit it out loud. This was something Drakken and Yori had bonded over and enjoyed doing together. This _one_ thing got Drakken to give Yori a chance and stopped him from talking about sending Yori back to Japan. He had really taken to her after that and she returned the affection, enjoying that he liked her for herself now and not because she was an employee.

Because Drakken got along with Yori, Shego had to take less time screaming at him. This was something Yori found good. She spoke to Shego about her temper many times and got Shego into mediating, hoping it would calm her down. It seemed to be working… most of the time anyway. Sometimes, things were too stupid for Shego to have the patience of a saint.

“Look, we’re not going to do any silly karaoke. It’s Friday, past five, and we’re off the clock,” Shego pointed out, motioning between herself and Yori. They had a date.

Drakken’s brow wrinkled. “So?”

“So, damn it, we’re not going!” Shego stomped her foot, needing to literally put her foot down for them to understand this was not happening. Not today anyway. Suddenly, she felt a gentle hand on the small of her back, tracing circles around the base of her spine. It took effort to not purr from the sensation. She sighed and took a couple of breaths before speaking again. “Look, Doctor D, we’re not doing karaoke tonight. We’ve got other plans.”

“Other plans? Like what? Maybe I can come along.” Drakken’s eyes twinkled with hope, but his grin faltered slightly. Shego flinched at those words.

“Sorry, but it would not be a good idea, Drakken-san,” Yori said, cutting in because she knew Shego was on the verge of blowing up on their employer.

All day, all Shego wanted to do was get out of the lair with Yori and now Doctor Drakken held them up, trying to interject himself into their plans. It did not help that they had recently finished a job and Drakken was more irksome to deal with when they were working. Yori knew it was only a matter of time before Shego lost it on him and no amount of deep breaths or soothing back-rubs would save him from Shego’s wrath.

“What? But, we _always_ hang out!” Drakken whined, making tight fists and shaking them back and forth.

Shego huffed. “Doctor D, we _don’t_ always hang out. We’ve gone to do stupid karaoke a few times and that’s it.” She made tight fists of her own and closed her eyes. Maybe if she did not see him for a few seconds, she could fully calm down. She did not want to deal with his obliviousness and attention-seeking behavior right now. She had enough of that during their latest misadventure. She counted to ten in her head, but it was not helping much. She felt a little more pressure on her back and talented fingers eased the tension out of her body.

“What Shego-chan is trying to say, Drakken-san, is that tonight is, what do you call it?” Yori paused for a moment, putting her finger to her chin in thought. “A girls’ night out, I believe the term is. We are having a girls’ night out.”

Once again, a cerulean forehead furrowed. Black eyes squinted, laced with confusion. It was almost as if he did not know they were girls or that he was not one. The idea tickled Shego while it did not even cross Yori’s mind.

“What do you mean?” Drakken asked. He poked his lip out a little, threatening a full-on pout. If he were not careful, Shego would punch the pout off of his face. Well, maybe. She was not sure since she was not interested in Yori scolding her for hitting him.

“C’mon, Doctor D, you know if it was something regular, we’d be willing to let you tag along, but it’s not!” Shego glared at her boss as if she was trying to set him on fire with her mind. If she could, she probably would. At least then she could claim it was an accident and avoid having Yori reprimand her.

Often, Yori could coax Shego into letting Drakken come along on outings. The ninja honestly liked Drakken “off the clock,” as she had heard Shego put it. When he was not trying to take over the world, he could be sweet and funny and sometimes he was just as clueless about things as she was. She wondered why he wasted his time with sinister matters and she hoped one day he changed his mind and tried to do the right thing. Although, as she understood things, he had tried to do the right thing — going so far as to help save the planet — but, for whatever reason, he could not stick to it.

“Drakken-san, please, try to understand,” Yori pled, onyx eyes wet and begging.

“But, what about karaoke?” Drakken asked, his own pout in place. “Don’t you want to go?”

“I would like to go, but Shego has already planned this night out. We will go do karaoke next week, yes?” Yori countered. She would like to do it, but she also wanted to go out with Shego.

“Hell, no,” Shego said under her breath. She knew she would be going, though, if Yori went and Yori would go.

“All right, all right. I guess I’ll just stay here… alone…” Drakken put on a full-blown pout with his bottom lip out and flashed them sad, puppy eyes.

“Okay!” Shego grinned and clapped her hands together, ready to go now that everything was settled.

“Shego-chan,” Yori said sharply.

The green-skinned warrior sighed and rolled her eyes. “Next time, Doctor D,” she promised, hoping he would stop forcing out that expression, so that she and Yori could get the hell out of there.

“Uh… okay,” Drakken agreed because of the look that both ladies gave him. Emerald and obsidian implored him to let them go. At least Yori promised next week. He knew that was as good as gold.

“We’ll see you later, Doctor D,” Shego said, putting her arm around Yori’s waist to lead the ninja out of the room.

“Later, Drakken-san,” Yori said with a slight bow. She tried her best to ignore how he looked at they left. It felt like they abandoned him and it cut across her heart. “Drakken-san looks so lonely,” she commented.

“He probably is, but we can’t take him everywhere we go. It’s a date, after all,” Shego reminded the younger woman.

Yori nodded. “Why is it that we just do not tell him that?”

Shego sighed and shook her head. “First off, he wouldn’t get it. You know how Doctor D is. We say one thing, he takes it to mean something else and then we have to spend the whole day trying to explain it to him. That’s annoying enough when it’s something easy. If we told him we’re dating, we’d be drawing him diagrams for the rest of the month.”

“Is it such a hard concept?” Yori asked, staring at her with wide eyes, eager to learn.

“For Drakken, yes. He looks at us all as, you know, an evil family and whatnot.” Shego paused and Yori nodded. “By telling him we’re girlfriends, it messes up the picture already in his head. Once we mess up that picture, we have to take the time to first erase the image and then draw another image for him. Like when we had to explain to him what hot cereal was and he wouldn’t believe us because he thought of cereal as just the sugar with marshmallows and crap,” Shego answered. Her head hurt just thinking about when they had to sit Drakken down and come out.

Yori nodded, as if she understood, even though she did not totally understand. She just believed in Shego and she knew Drakken had a habit of being difficult when something did not conform to the picture in his head. She supposed that was one of the things that made Drakken insane.

Shego made sure the matter was dropped in favor of more stimulating conversation, bringing up where she was taking Yori tonight. The kunoichi was excited just hearing about it, as always. She held onto Shego tightly all the way to the car, trying to contain herself, but eventually it became too much; this often happened. She began to bounce a little in her seat as Shego drove them away from the desolate area that surrounded the lair. Shego smiled. For some reason, Yori’s excitement always flowed into her and filled her with joy. It made going to even the simplest or most annoying places bearable.   

“I love plays!” the ninja declared while reaching over and clutching onto Shego’s arm, despite the fact that Shego was driving.

“I know,” Shego replied with a smile. A green hand gently patted the slim thigh in the passenger seat.

Over the past few months, Shego and Yori had both been discovering things Yori liked beyond manga and anime. All types of cartoons and comics delighted Yori, which made it very easy to get her gifts. Dates were just as easy because she loved the theater and movies. She loved seeing stories unfold, especially fantasies. Anything with a lot of imagination and wild visuals captured her attention until it was over.

“Remember our first play? It was so amazing!” Yori squirmed in her seat.

Shego smiled more. “Yeah, I know. I was there. I’m more amazed they didn’t throw us out the way you squealed at damn near everything.”

Yori snickered and stuck her tongue out at Shego, who rolled her eyes. Early on, it was touch-and-go with their dates because they had to figure out what Yori liked and what Shego was willing to endure. Concerts were out. Yori could not get a grasp for music, which Shego thought explained why the little ninja enjoyed karaoke so much. Yori had sat through a couple of concerts after that discovery because she knew Shego was a big fan of all types of music and she also went to clubs for that reason.

Clubbing had been limited recently, even though Shego thoroughly enjoyed that activity. Yori was terribly uncomfortable in clubs. In fact, Yori stuck to her as if they were glued together whenever they entered a club. There were too many people, it was too loud, and too dark for Yori to properly relax in. Shego figured they could try the whole clubbing thing again when Yori got used to being in a big, moving crowd without having to watch a target or thinking someone might attack them. Also, Yori still needed to learn to dance because what she called dancing now was painful to watch and Shego cringed whenever she thought about it. 

“Is it a musical?” Yori asked, a cute wrinkle in her forehead.

A teasing smile curled onto Shego’s lips. “Am I going to take you some place where you’ll whine through the whole thing?”

Yori smiled, too, knowing the answer to that. Once again, music was not something that grabbed Yori, so she disliked musicals. They did not make any sense to her. Yes, she knew it was all make-believe and she enjoyed things that involved imagination, but still, she could not make any sense of musicals. _Why did people always burst into song in the middle of something?_ For her, that was just about the most unrealistic thing ever and no amount of imagination would fix that.

“Are we going to eat first?” Yori asked. She could not sit in silence when in the car with Shego on their way to a date. She needed as much information as Shego was willing to provide, which sometimes was not much. Shego liked to surprise her occasionally and Yori was bad at handling surprises.

“We should have time for that. Where do you want to go?” Shego countered.

“Oh, Thai! Thai!” Yori cheered, going as far as to clap.

Shego could not help smiling, loving the excitement oozing from her girlfriend. It danced down her nerves and settled in her happy place. “Thai it is.” _It’s amazing how different she is now compared to when she first came_.

Yori grinned and the expression let Shego know exactly what the ninja thought. _Shego, you’re the best!_ Yori had said those words often, but her eyes and face said them much more. Shego was stunned that whenever she heard those words or noticed the expression, she felt lighter and her insides quivered with delight.

“If only you looked at me like you look at Thai food,” Shego remarked.

Yori chuckled. “Silly. I look at you way better than Thai food.”

“You don’t have to flatter me. I’m already taking you to the Thai place.” Shego winked at her.

Yori laughed more. Shego drove them to a Thai restaurant she knew Yori enjoyed. Since Shego looked at it as her job to make sure Yori experienced as much of the world as possible, she made sure Yori always got a touch of new cuisine when given the chance. Yori now had a top ten list of favorite types of food and the list could be broken down into many different categories. If going by country, Thai food was definitely on the list; West Indian and Indian food also made the list. She loved spicy food.

“I’m not ordering the whole menu for you this time, though,” Shego said, as if she was punishing Yori. Yori’s metabolism was impressive, even to Shego, who burned calories like she burned… well, things with her hands.

Yori gave her an impish smile, leaning on the table. “Oh, half the menu will do.”

Shego smiled back and they ordered their meals, which came quickly. Shego liked watching Yori eat. It was always an exercise in control and neatness. She used chopsticks for everything she could. Whatever the chopsticks could not handle, she used a spoon. She always ate slow and deliberate, trying to savor all of the flavor. Yori had a way of making every meal seem like a religious experience that Shego could not tear her eyes away from.

“Shego-chan, aren’t you going to eat?” Yori asked, halfway through her meal. She was beaming due to the warm meal and her current company.

“Of course I am. After I take in your beauty for a little longer,” Shego remarked with a charming smirk and got exactly what she was aiming for — a blush from Yori.

“Shego-chan…” Yori was speechless. Even after a year of dating, she really did not know how to take compliments, especially from Shego.

The pale woman only smiled, letting Yori know words were not necessary. They finished their food and left for the theater. Yori clutched onto Shego out the whole production. Her eyes danced and her face was bright with happiness. Shego was content to stare at Yori for the whole night, enjoying the elated expression on Yori’s face and proud to know she was the one that put it there.

Shego was not sure what came over her since Yori entered her life. Sometimes, she paused and thought about the things she did and she could not believe it was her doing the actions. She did not mind, but she could not believe it. She had not figured out what it was about Yori that touched something inside of her that she did not know existed, but she recognized Yori did touch her and she accepted it. Hell, she liked it — a lot.

Because Yori triggered things inside of her, Shego was willing to sit through all sorts of things she did not like, like plays. If she was in a theater, she liked a concert to be happening, but she supposed that would not happen anytime soon. She was willing to put up with Yori’s disregard for music. Why? She could not figure that out yet, no matter how often she thought about it. Why did Yori have this power over her and why was she willing to accept that?

“I love it when there’s a happy ending!” Yori giggled as they exited the theater with the rest of the crowd once the show was over. There was an energy in the air and she buzzed with it, like she often did after a show. She was _still_ latched onto Shego’s arm, resting her head against Shego’s silk-covered shoulder. Smiling came so easy to her now, and the ninja was very aware of that. She delighted smiling, delighted having things to smile about.

“You do? I had no idea!” Shego offered her a lopsided grin. She slid her arm around Yori’s slim waist, resting her hand on Yori’s hip. Yori had to adjust her arm due to the new position, but she liked it because it brought her closer to the older woman.

The kunoichi chuckled and lightly hit her companion. “Oh, you! Thank you for this, Shego-chan.”

“It’s my pleasure, Cherry Blossom. I’m here to show you the world, after all,” Shego replied with a smirk on her face and her chin in the air.

“Thank you, Shego-chan. You’ve been so good to me,” Yori said, sincerity and awe dripping from her words. The expression on her face, light and earnest, could have powered the whole world.

Shego could only shrug because there were no words in creation to respond to that smile. She wondered if Yori realized what lengths she would go for the younger woman to see that smiling face. It scared her to think about it, really, but she could not do anything about it. She was sure she would never be the same without that smile in her life, so she would accept her fate.

The year for Shego had been just as fulfilling as it had been for Yori. Shego found someone whose company did not set her off every two minutes and who was respectful toward her, which was something she thoroughly liked. Something about Yori helped keep her calm and made her patient — at least when it came to Yori anyway — and she found she liked that. It felt good not to get worked up every few minutes about something she knew was trivial and allowed her to see the world in a new light, learning to enjoy simple things.

“Home now?” Yori asked as they got to the car.

Shego glanced at her. “Why? Is there somewhere that you want to go?” She would take Yori to the ends of the Earth right now if it was what the ninja desired.

Yori shook her head. “Home sounds very nice.” In fact, the thought of home put a smile on her face. She was starting to understand that home was a concept and not just a place because going to Yamanouchi never put a smile on her face like going home with Shego did. Going home to Yamanouchi never made her feel warm from the tips of her toes to the ends of her hair.

“Home it is.” Shego pulled off.

They lived together, away from whatever lair Drakken was using. There was a practical reason for it. With Yori around, Drakken lost a lot more lairs than he used to. Shego was not looking forward to having to replace some of her more beloved possession every time Yori interfered with Drakken’s crazy scheme. Yori agreed with that logic, especially as she got more and more possessions. She would be crushed if her manga collection was as much as singed.

Living together also allowed them to be alone together. Whenever they were at the lair, they had to worry about Drakken. Most of the time, they could put up with him. Shego was an expert at ignoring him by now and Yori studied him, tried to figure him out. There were times when they both did just wish Drakken would go away, though, but now they had a place of their own, they could just retreat to their home.

The couple lived in a small condo by the beach, a private section of the beach. The condo was on a hill and in the day, they could look down at the sparkling shoreline. At night, they both liked to sit outside and gaze at the moon shining on the water. Yori always looked so contented and it hit Shego in her stomach. They exercised and practiced on the beach whenever they could, sparring, which sometimes morphed into playful wrestling, which then transformed into heated make-out sessions.

Shego pulled into the driveway and they exited the car. They took a moment to look out beyond their home and they could hear the waves crashing against the shore. There were clouds out, so the moon was blocked from view, but it was still beautiful. The sea air smelled perfectly right and filled the small, empty spaces inside of them. Yori could not help wrapping herself around Shego as they enjoyed the quiet moment.

Once the moment passed, the couple turned to go into their home. They took their shoes off at the door. It went beyond it being force of habit for Yori, but to keep their carpets cleaned and their hardwood floors unmarked. Shego turned on the lights, revealing a comfortable size living room with partial carpeting. The carpet was white while the walls were a very light green. The sofa was black leather accented by a black marble coffee table. Beyond the living room were large, square windows.

Yori made a beeline for the living room, wanting to watch television. They had satellite and it picked up three different channels with anime, so Yori was pretty much addicted to it. Shego often left her to it, figuring Yori had a lot of television watching to catch up on, since she did not get to do it much in her nineteen — soon-to-be twenty — years of life.

Shego went to the back, intent on taking a shower and changing into some house clothes. She went into her bedroom; they had separate bedrooms. Shego thought it would be good for Yori to have her own room and the ninja had been very excited to have a room to herself. Of course, the room was packed with manga, anime, wall scrolls, posters, and collectible figurines. It was heaven for Yori.

There were days when Yori would follow Shego into her room and sleep with her. There was some contact, heavy petting on occasion, but nothing further than that. Shego was determined to show self-control for once in her life and not push Yori into something she might not be ready for, and a sexual relationship when they first began was definitely something Yori was not ready for. As time went on, Yori became more and more curious and have deeper urges, but they just never went to that point.

Sometimes, Yori crawled into Shego’s bed, not for making out, but for sheer comfort. Yori suffered from terrible nightmares and she could not sleep on those nights, but feeling Shego against her, arms around her, chased away some of the nightmares and the bad thoughts. Another reason Shego really let Yori set the pace of the relationship was because of how damaged the ninja’s psyche seemed to be. Shego did not want to add to Yori’s troubled mind. She was supposed to take care of Yori, after all, and she took her self-appointed task quite seriously.

Once she was showered and dressed, Shego went to keep Yori company; hey, there were a few shows that Shego could not only stomach, but she actually liked. Yori cuddled next to her as soon as she was on the couch. Shego put an arm around her shoulders.

“You don’t want to change?” Shego asked.

Yori looked at her with shocked, wide eyes. “And miss a new episode?”

Shego chuckled. “Of course not.” Of course, they would be new episodes on all night of different shows. It was a good thing they could record programs or Yori might never sleep.

As the night drew on and they watched several shows, they both decided it was bedtime. Yori showered and put on her pajamas and that night she crawled into bed with Shego without even thinking about going to her room. She did not just crawl into bed, but she crawled on top of Shego.

“You seem like you want my attention, Cherry Blossom,” Shego remarked with a wide smile.

Yori beamed right back. “You’re so good to me.” The statement was a simple fact. She stared into Shego’s eyes for a long moment, as if trying to memorize every bit of her. She leaned down to place a tender kiss to Shego’s willing lips.

Shego ran her hand through Yori’s soft, silky hair. “You make it easy.”

“Do I?” Another kiss.

“You are extremely low maintenance.” She meant that in a good way. It was easy to take care of Yori and that was something she thoroughly appreciated. She hoped things were always that way. 

The ninja knew Shego meant that in a good way and leaned down for another, deeper kiss. After a few seconds, Yori lapped at Shego’s lips, requesting entrance. Shego smiled internally, happy with her girlfriend’s boldness. It had taken a lot of work to get Yori to that point, but now she was very comfortable with taking control of any kiss.

Shego’s hands wandered at leisure over Yori’s body, which the ninja was fine with. Soft moans escaped Yori’s mouth, swallowed down by Shego since they were still attached at the lips. As if testing Shego’s crumbling resolve, Yori started grinding herself against Shego’s leg. Each move sent pressure through Shego and she throbbed with desire. The older woman wanted to cry, knowing things would not go beyond dry humping.

The first time Yori had rubbed herself against Shego, she blushed and apologized over it. It was clear she had not expected her body to seek out friction and she retreated into herself for a long moment. Shego had assured her it was fine and that was all Yori needed. Now, she basically experimented with different ways to drive Shego out of her mind with sexual frustration — in Shego’s opinion anyway, even though she knew Yori did not mean to.

Shego thought Yori movements came from knowing she wanted something, but not knowing what it was. She was not going to say anything, though, until Yori finally brought it up. Until then, they were both going to frustrated with the situation, even though Yori tended to find more relief than Shego did.

“Shego-chan…” Yori whimpered, her face flush and her face now slightly away from Shego’s. Pale hands still wandered, caressed, and outright groped the ninja. It was all above the clothing, but Shego ached to touch smooth skin.

Shego did not say anything, but shifted her leg for her girlfriend. Yori whined as pressure was increased for her. Her hips moved faster, pressed harder and Shego shuddered with each move. Then, Yori’s breath caught in her throat and her movements stilled. She collapsed on top of Shego with a smile on her face. Shego smiled too, certain she had never seen a better sight than Yori looming over her, surprised contentment clouding her eyes. 

Shego purred as Yori nuzzled her neck. She caressed Yori’s back as the ninja’s breath settled and returned to normal. Yori wiggled against her, making herself comfortable. Shego kissed her cheek. Yori returned the kiss, but to Shego’s neck.

“Shego, I’m so happy you’re in my life,” Yori said.

“Same here, Cherry Blossom. Same here,” Shego whispered.

Yori sighed softly and settled against the warm body underneath her. As sleep was set to carry the younger woman away, darkness crawled out into her mind, making her think of the past. This is what brought on her nightmares, making her feel like her stomach was going to drop out. The idea of nightmares scared her enough to send a shiver down her spine. The fear was chased away by gentle fingers stroking her back. The past was the past and it could not trouble her anymore. She would use her time now to make up for the past, though. With Shego by her side, she could do things right. She fell into a peaceful sleep, as she always did when held by Shego, her savior and protector as far as she was concerned. 

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Yori gets a letter from Yamanouchi and she thinks they’re going to take her away from Shego. Shego calms her down by offering to go… and she plans a little side trip before they go to Japan.


	2. Heaven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don’t own these characters; Disney does.

2: Heaven 

Yori rose first, as she always did. She smiled to herself as she took in her surroundings, mostly the warm body underneath her. She thought about how good life had been since meeting Shego. She had experienced so many new things, not just physically, but emotionally and intellectually as well. Never before had she considered how many things there were to do in the world and she would like to do all of them — with Shego by her side.

Whenever Shego was there, Yori felt a level of safety she did not even think could exist. She never thought of herself as needing to feel protected, but now that she had Shego, she understood the feeling was not a bad thing. It did not make her weak to be with someone who made her feel like nothing in the world could get her. If anything, she felt like it made her stronger. Something about Shego made her feel like she could do anything, even take on the world. Or even more frightening for her — live in the world. She knew she could make it in this world as long as Shego was with her. 

Being out in the world, experiencing things was like having wings. There were times when Yori seriously wondered how she remained tethered to the Earth rather than floating off into the sky. Every now and then, it was overwhelming, but Shego was there to help her contain herself. Shego helped focused her while allowing her to stretch her wings and fly.

Then there was a different level of freedom she felt when she was with Shego. There was never any pressure for her to do one thing or another. Everything was up to her to be done at her own pace and that was something she only experienced with Shego. When she was with her school, it always felt like she was shackled and collared, but she did not know any better and had not realized it back then, so it was not so troublesome. Now, though, even when working with Drakken and she felt somewhat restrained, it bothered her immensely. If Shego was not there with her, she was certain she would have snapped doing just the simplest tasks for Drakken. Shego made everything worth it.

With Shego around, Yori could actually stand Drakken. She could understand him, somewhat. He was lonely and wanted friendship, which was something she knew a great deal about. He was odd, though, and she still could not quite figure him out. From what she could tell, Shego had not figured him out either, but she did not seem interested in doing so.

She snuggled closer into Shego’s body and busied herself by running her fingers through the older woman’s thick hair. She closed her eyes and focused on nothing more than her sense of touch, the feel of Shego’s hair and skin. Inhaling, she breathed Shego in, smelling citrus and lilac. _Heavenly. She is heaven_.

Yori was content to stay as she was for a few minutes, but then she heard a truck outside. She popped up, knowing exactly who it was. She grinned as she dashed off. _Mailman!_

Shego chuckled to herself, having been woken up by Yori’s movements. Sometimes, her girlfriend was very much the big kid. Yori loved doing simple things that most adults did not think about or found annoying, like getting the mail. Making it better for her, Shego subscribed Yori to a bunch of anime and martial arts’ magazines, so that the ninja received mail for the first time in her life. Yori thought it was the best thing ever! Of course, Yori also thought satellite television, microwavable pretzels, cotton candy, bubble-bath, and jeans were “the best thing ever!”

“I should make a list of things she thinks is the best thing ever, just to see if she can really pick a best thing ever,” Shego said. She doubted Yori would be able to narrow it down, even if there was a list in front of her.

After a few minutes, Shego cracked open one eye. Something was wrong. Usually, Yori would have bounced back into the room with the mail in hand, going on and on about some anime on the cover of her magazines or new weapons in one of the martial arts’ magazines, and a smile on her face by now. Shego wasted no time throwing the covers from her body and getting up to search for her missing girlfriend. After she tossed on a short robe, she marched out of her bedroom. 

Shego thought Yori might have taken a detour to her own room, but found it devoid of life. She went to the living room, figuring Yori might have been turned around by something on television, as it would not have been the first time. Yori was in the living room, sitting on the sofa with an envelope in her hand, clutching it to the point of almost ripping it. The rest of the mail was at Yori’s feet, as if she had dropped it.

Yori was as pale as the paper in her hands. Her body was frozen while her eyes were open and she looked like a deer in headlights. Shego rushed to her side and pulled Yori to her. As soon the familiar form was pressed against her, Yori’s arms went around Shego and she began trembling. Strong hands immediately began to tenderly caress the small of the ninja’s back, trying to calm her down.

“Cherry Blossom, what’s wrong?” Shego asked in a low tone, trying her best not to frighten her girlfriend any more than she already was.

Yori did not speak, could not speak. She quivered as she held Shego tighter, clutching the edges of Shego’s robe, and silently begged for the calming presence to make everything right. She promised herself Shego would make everything better. Shego always made everything better.

The green-skinned woman did not bother to ask again, figuring she would have to wait for Yori to settle. She took the envelope out of Yori’s hand, careful not to tear it from the vice-like grip the younger woman had on it. Shego did not see anything outstanding about the plain white envelope or why it upset Yori so much. There was actually nothing on it, no return address or mailing address. She was beginning to doubt it was the envelope that bothered Yori at all until she noticed the small “stamp” on the right corner.

The stamp was a tiny, faded black mark that looked suspiciously like a lotus cut in half. Shego had never seen the mark before, but she had seen things like it. She had a feeling the letter was from Yori’s ninja school. Instead of asking, she held and caressed Yori while waiting for the young woman to stop shaking.

“They’re going to take me away from you,” Yori whispered in a raspy tone, fingers still tight in Shego’s robe. She had never felt such crippling fear, but it was closing her throat and making it hard to talk, hard to breath. “I cannot leave you, Shego. I cannot. I just…” She could not imagine life without Shego now, could not imagine life back at school.

Shego kissed the side of Yori’s head. Her lips were warm, as usual, but did not settle Yori as they tended to. “You don’t know what the letter even says yet. Read it first before deciding what you can and what you can’t do,” she advised in a gentle tone. She was so thankful Yori had taught her some patience because she knew it was important at times like these.

“Why else would they write? I am sure it’s to tell me to come home,” Yori sniffled and buried her head in Shego’s shoulder, hoping to hide from the evil letter. If she could crawl inside Shego and never leave, she would. No one would find her there. No one could hurt her there.

Shego gave her another kiss and rubbed up and down her back. “You can’t know that until you open it. It might just be something about renewing your contract. Drakken told me he only signed you on for a year. Goofy bastard was actually planning ahead, thinking a year would be good to see if you would work out or not.” She chuckled a little to lighten the mood.

“Really?” Yori asked in a hopeful tone, pulling back to look at the older woman. Her eyes shined like black diamonds, partially from unshed tears, but mostly from the wish that her girlfriend was right.

With a small smile, Shego nodded. “Yes, really.”

The ninja sighed and ran a shaky hand through her hair. Her hand went back to Shego’s robe the moment she was done. “I have never been on an assignment this long, you know? Most of my missions were always something fast. The longest one only took a couple of months, nothing like this. I do not know what to expect.”

The thief nodded. “Well, don’t expect the worst outright.” She could not believe what she said, as she often expected the worst, but she did not want Yori to live her life that way. She was cynic by nature and did not think such an outlook would suit Yori. She continued the massage on Yori’s back and placed a gentle kiss to the ninja’s forehead. “So, open the letter first. After that, we’ll figure out what we need to do, if we need to do anything.”

Yori nodded and noted how Shego said “we.” That one word made her feel better, letting her know she was not alone. She was never alone when Shego was with her, she reminded herself. The thought gave her the strength to tear open the envelope that only seconds before had the power to make her tremble. Once the letter was open, its power returned.

It hurt to breathe and Yori was vaguely aware she was panting, struggling for air as it felt like her chest caved in. Her hand shook again, the rustling sound of the paper echoing through the room. It sounded like thunder to her ears and rattled her bones. She could not see how this letter was anything but bad news.

Shego reached out and steadied Yori’s hand, holding Yori’s wrist. Her thumb caressed the skin right at Yori’s pulse. The ninja twisted around to smile at Shego, who returned the expression. The younger woman then turned her attention back to the letter in her hand. They both read it silently and finally the tension eased out of Yori’s body.

“They want me to come back, but they didn’t say why,” Yori pointed out, breathing a slight sigh of relief. It seemed a little strange to her, but it was better than an order to stay at the school and be away from Shego. Still, in the back of her mind, there was a sting of doubt. There was something off with this situation. Other times she had been called back to the school, she was told the missions complete or canceled. That was not the case here. The mission was not mentioned. She was simply to return to school “to discuss matters of importance and settle terms of employment.”

“It’s probably just for some contract negotiations.” Shego waved it off, like it was nothing. Too bad her eyes did not back up her words. The letter was so vague she was not sure what to think, but she insisted it was nothing serious to make sure she kept her girlfriend calm. Besides, she did not see why it would be serious considering the manner in which it was sent. She figured if a secret ninja organization wanted to get in touch with an operative, they would do something other than sending a missive through the United States Postal service.

Yori searched Shego’s face for a moment. “You think so?”

“Right here.” Shego pointed down to the middle of the short, business letter that was written in Japanese. “They talk about setting terms for your employment. That should have to do with your contract.” She shrugged.

Yori nodded. “I hope so.” Again, this whole thing was different, but this mission was different. Maybe this was how the school handled long-term missions. They would check in every now and then to see if the mission should continue and what would be necessary for the mission to continue.

“It should be fine. Nothing there sounds really ominous.” Shego flicked the letter with her pinkie.

A small smile settled on Yori’s face. “Have I told you I’m happy to be with you and I’m happy you read Japanese?” Shego had helped her a few times when English failed her by assisting her in expressing her feelings by offering up things in Japanese.

Shego laughed. “You’ve said it a few times, but you know how I love to hear praise.” She especially loved to hear praise from Yori.

There was a moment of silence. Yori’s eyes settled on a space on Shego’s neck, but she was lost in her thoughts. Even if the letter was not the end of the world, it could lead to something life-changing. Her life had changed for the better and she did not want it to go back to the way it was. She did not want Master Sensei to pull her back or put her on another assignment. It would be impossible to continue her life if she had to leave her current mission.

Shego put her a finger Yori’s chin and eased her face up until they locked eyes. “Hey, what’s going on in there?” A pale finger tenderly tapped the side of the ninja’s head.

Obsidian eyes stared deep into emerald. “Shego-chan… I am not too sure if I want to go back. What if they decide to cancel the contract and keep me at the school?” Fear clouded Yori’s eyes.

Shego pressed the smaller woman to her. “I won’t let them, Cherry Blossom. You should know that.” She kissed the side of Yori’s head. She could not stand to lose Yori. She would not stand to lose her, so no, the school could not keep her little ninja.

“But… you cannot come with me. I have to go alone. The only way into the school is by association or invitation. You do not have either of those,” Yori pointed out.

The pale woman snickered. “Baby, when the hell have you seen me do what the rules say if it’s not in my best interest? Some rules aren’t going to stop me from being by your side.” This vow was made in a strong, determined voice, like nothing could or would stand between Shego and Yori ever.

“We could get into trouble…”

“It’s all right, Cherry Blossom. I’m not going to let you go this by yourself. I don’t want to worry you either.” Shego kissed the side of Yori’s head again.

The kunoichi sniffled, but smiled. “I do not know what to do…” she whispered. She nuzzled Shego’s neck.

“Let me come with you. We’ll figure something out, but right now, just let me come with you,” the older woman quietly begged, nibbling on Yori’s delectable ear. The ninja moaned and squirmed a little.

“You are not being fair…” Yori whimpered, pressing herself against the firm form holding her.

“I’m never fair, Cherry Blossom. You just don’t know that side of me,” Shego whispered before taking another pass at Yori’s ear with her tongue. Honestly, Yori had not seen the side of Shego that would do anything to get her way, but she was about to be thoroughly introduced to that side.

“Shego-chan…”

“I’m going to come with you, Cherry Blossom. This way, you don’t have to worry too much and you’ll have a shoulder if you need one. Plus, I’ll be around for moral support. You want that, don’t you?” Shego’s hand began to trace a lazy circle around Yori’s navel.

“Uh-huh…” Yori replied while trying to figure out if she liked this new, tricky Shego or not. It was hard not to like the attention, but underneath it, she knew she was being manipulated. The problem was she did not care much. Besides, she was being manipulated into telling the truth. She wanted nothing more than for Shego to be there with her, supporting her, carrying her, caring about her. She was used to those things and did not want to let them go when she needed them most.

“So, I’m going to come with you, all right?” Shego ducked her head and sucked slightly on Yori’s neck, just below her ear. A cute moan escaped Yori and Shego would give anything to hear it again, hear it louder, but that was for another time.

“Um… okay…” the younger woman answered. She was only vaguely aware of what she was even agreeing to now. Instead, her mind was more focused on the powerful and strange sensations coursing through her body, making everything seem alive, humming, and throbbing for more of the attention that Shego was giving her neck.

Yori tilted her neck, trying to give Shego move access. Surely Shego would understand she needed more without her having to say it, or she hoped. There was no way she would be able to explain herself, not too sure what she needed.

“Good. I’ll go make our travel plans,” Shego declared and she pulled away.

Yori whimpered and panted, trying to catch her breath. “Shego!” she whined as the delicious contact was ripped from her, leaving her body wanting something she could not figure out. All she knew was that Shego started it and she would like Shego to finish it; whatever “it” was.

“Gotta go grab the computer.” Shego climbed to her feet, taking Yori with her. She propped Yori up and was off. Yori squinted as Shego went to fetch her laptop.

The ninja stood there in a daze for a long while because the humming in her body did not go away. She began to realize she had felt this burning feeling before, but nowhere near this level of intensity. If what she felt before was fire, then this feeling was the hottest sun in all of the universe. There was an urge to strip, but she managed to fight it off. There was also a desire to rub against Shego, as she had last night, but she doubted Shego would go for that right now. She felt conflicted, unsure of how to make the feeling going away, not sure if she wanted the feeling to go away.

“What is wrong with me?” Yori muttered, wrapping her arms around her body in an attempt to hold herself together because it certainly felt like her body was ready to fly apart.

Shego gathered her laptop and watched Yori, who had not moved in well over a couple of minutes. She watched as confusion, desire, and other emotions swirled in deep onyx eyes. She actually felt bad about working Yori into such a state because she knew her girlfriend could not figure out what was going on. A smile curled onto her lips as an idea formed in her mind. She hoped she would be able to get Yori curious enough for the ninja to start pushing for a little more… before Yori went insane from unrealized desire.

“Cherry Blossom, I’m going to show you a great time before you allow yourself to be stressed by whatever the hell that stupid school of yours wants from you,” Shego vowed under her breath as she turned her attention to the computer screen. It was time for her and Yori to go on another adventure.

-*-(New day)-*-

Yori held onto Shego’s hand with a grip that led the older woman to think Yori might actually break her hand.  It was like Yori forgot her strength, but Shego understood. They were on a plane, flying first-class, but there were still too many people for Yori’s liking and the space was too small to be around so many people. It did not help that there were not many escape options if something went wrong and she did not have her weapons on the flight if something went wrong. Yori hated pretty much all of those things.

“Calm down, Cherry Blossom. Nothing’s going to happen,” Shego promised, caressing Yori’s cheek with her free hand. Yori’s skin was so soft under her fingertips and she hoped she would be able to feel more of it soon enough.

“I know, I know.” Yori blushed, often feeling stupid over her own paranoia. It was impossible for her to disregard years of training and she had never been a fan of small, confined spaces anyway.

“Do you want me to order you a drink to help you relax?” Shego inquired softly. She had no problem with getting Yori alcohol, even though the ninja was a year and a couple of months off from being of legal drinking age, in the United States anyway. Yori had tasted several liquors while hanging out with Shego on different occasions.

Yori shook her head, trying her best not to seem pathetic. Even though she knew Shego would not judge her behavior, she wanted to do it for herself. She wanted to prove to herself that all of the work Shego had put into her over the past year was paying off. She closed her eyes, took a few calming breaths, and allowed herself to let go.

“So, I have never been on a commercial flight. Is it a must to go through Hawaii to get to Japan?” Yori inquired. They were on a flight bound for Hawaii, but she did not know why. She thought it might be the norm and she knew Shego would explain it all.

“It’s not a must exactly,” Shego answered in a non-committal tone with a shrug.

Yori smiled, quickly figuring out if it was not a must, then Shego had some kind of plan. She liked it when Shego surprised her, even if she did ask a dozens of questions whenever a surprise popped up. She did her best to fight down her newly revived curiosity in all things. She held onto Shego’s hand a little tighter, letting the older woman know just how excited she was.

“Never been to Hawaii, have you?” Shego asked, the grin made it clear she was teasing her young companion.

Yori only grinned in return. She could not wait for this latest adventure. She squirmed in her seat, waiting for the moment to hear they were landing. Her heart pounded in anticipation for the entire flight, speeding up when she looked through some of the magazines, which showcased the activities to be done in Hawaii. She hoped they were going to island-hop because the magazines made her want to do something on each island. This was going to be so amazing, like most things she did with Shego.

Shego fell asleep during the flight on purpose. She did that in case Yori started asking a million and one questions. She did not want to eventually give in and answer the questions, which could happen if Yori hit her with the right expression. Sometimes, just those big dark eyes looking at her as if she hung the moon was enough to crumble Shego’s resolve. She wanted everything to be a surprise. By the time they landed, she had successfully remained asleep and avoided any questions about their little detour.

-8-8-8-8-

Yori’s eyes went wide as she scanned the lush suite they stepped into. This was beyond belief. She rushed through the living room with a cream colored sofa to glass doors leading to a balcony. The balcony had two cushioned lounge chairs on it with a glass table that looked out into turquoise blue water. Turning to look up, Yori saw there was a winding staircase going up to what she found out was the bedroom area.

Yori went back to Shego, who was still in the living room. Before she said anything, Yori went to check out the other rooms. There was a closet large enough to be another room. The bathroom was like nothing she had ever seen before. The bath was built to look like a mini-pool with built-in stairs and a hot tub next to it.

Going back out into the living room, Yori bounced on her heels. “We are to stay here?” Her mouth hung wide open, as if she was about to say something else, but nothing would come out. She had seen such elegance and wealth when out on missions for various reasons, but never had she lived in such stylishness.

“Yes, this is our room for the next couple of days,” Shego announced as if it was nothing. For her, the room was not much. She stayed in better places, but Yori’s response was everything.

Onyx eyes flashed with disappointment. “Only a couple?” She knew they would not be able to do much on the Big Island in only a couple of days and there was so much she wanted to do.

“We’re only here for a couple of days and then we’re going to go to Maui.”

A smile slowly curled onto Yori’s face. “And? Is there more?” She pressed her hands together, as if in prayer. She was about to start bouncing around on her heels if Shego explained exactly what they were going to do while on Hawaii.

Shego knew she had to let some of the surprise go or Yori would explode from the curiosity. “We’re going to stay on each island for two days before we take off for Japan. Today does not count as one of the two days we will be here,” she explained in a matter-of-fact tone, as if it was no big deal.

Yori flung herself on Shego and wrapped her arms tightly around the taller woman’s neck. Shego would have laughed if only Yori did not show just how overcome she was. Yori pressed her mouth to Shego’s lips in an instant and started a passionate kiss Shego automatically returned. Lips and tongue moved perfectly together and Shego never wanted it to end. Moans filled the room and Shego was fairly certain the noises came from her.

By the time Yori pulled away, Shego was out of breath and the ninja was blushing deeply, almost ready to apologize for her behavior. Then, Shego licked her lips and Yori forgot about being embarrassed. Part of her wanted to nibble Shego’s lower lip, but she held off because she needed to know more about this trip.

“I think I’ve done a very good thing,” Shego commented in a low tone while leaning down for another, much shorter kiss. “You taste so good.” She rested her hands on Yori’s hips.

“I read so many magazines on the plane about Hawaii and I was hoping to experience as much of it as possible,” Yori replied.

“Well, then, we’ll do whatever your heart desires.” Shego placed her hand over the aforementioned body part. It took every ounce self-control to keep from caressing her girlfriend, her hand even trembling from want and wavering control. She felt like she deserved a medal for not taking Yori upstairs and tossing her on the bed after that amazing kiss.

Yori grinned, but suddenly her smile dropped. “Is there not something you would like to do?”

Shego opened her mouth and then shut it quickly. She had been milliseconds away from telling Yori she wanted to throw the little ninja on the bed and make love until they had to leave for Maui, where she wanted to do the same thing. She could not say that. She could not put that kind of pressure on Yori and she could not push Yori like that, knowing it would do so much harm to the younger woman. She knew she would never have it in her to do something — _anything_ — to hurt Yori.

“I just want to be with you, Cherry Blossom,” Shego replied. It was the truth, just not the whole truth.

“But—” Yori started to object, but she was cut off. There were times when she could have a child-like selfishness to her when it came to Shego because Shego spoiled her, but a lot of the time, she was completely self-conscious about everything going on and how Shego always let her lead the way through things. She was aware Shego did those things because Shego wanted her to discover things on her own, but sometimes she felt like Shego held back and she knew it was for her. There were times when she wanted to do what Shego wanted to do, even if she did not know what that was! 

“No buts, Cherry Blossom!” Shego declared with a grin. “Now, I’ve been to Hawaii more times than I can count and I’ve done many things that I’ve wanted to do. Hell, I think I’ve done everything I ever wanted to do in Hawaii at least twice. I haven’t been able to share the experience with you, though. I just want to be with you as you do things you never imagined. You name it and I’m willing to do it with you. Any and everything.” She stated directly into Yori’s eyes for Yori to see she spoke the truth. This was all about Yori. Everything was all about Yori.

Onyx eyes shimmered with affection. “You are so good to me, Shego-chan.”

“Well, you’re very precious to me, little ninja. I want to give you the world and more,” Shego stated. How they got to this point, Shego doubted she would never truly be able to understand it, but damn it, she wanted to give Yori everything. She wanted to be there for Yori always and she wanted to make sure no harm ever came to Yori.

Yori was back on Shego in a flash, kissing the older woman senseless. Pleasure flooded Shego as she felt Yori’s tongue once more. It was like the world was made up of Yori’s mouth and nothing more. Yori somehow tasted like honey and this filled Shego to the brim. Shego actually wobbled when Yori finally pulled away. The younger woman had the nerve to blush because of her handiwork. 

“You’re getting good at that, Cherry Blossom,” Shego whispered. That was an understatement.

“It is because of you,” Yori replied with an impish smile. “And the way you make me feel…” she added with a blush.

Shego could not help smiling. She was not even aware of the happy expression on her face. If Yori felt anything like Shego felt, she was not sure how the younger woman could handle it all. Sometimes, the strange, but welcomed feelings felt like they might drown Shego. She also wondered if Yori felt the same as she did, then why were they still dressed while standing in such a lavish hotel room in one of the most romantic places on Earth? Her thoughts were cut off by Yori’s eager voice.

“I want to go kayaking and then I want to go to Mauna Kea!” Yori squealed with delight while yanking Shego, out of the room, and away from a comfy bed Shego gazed at until it was out of sight.

-8-8-8-8- 

Next time: Shego takes Yori to new heights.


	3. True Paradise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don’t own these characters; Disney does.
> 
> A/N: sexual relations between two women ahead.

3: True Paradise 

Shego doubted she would ever forget the look of sheer awe on Yori’s face when they hiked Mauna Kea. She felt such pride and so many other emotions when they reached the summit and Yori clutched onto her, holding her as if they were connected. The way the ninja looked… it was as if she saw God and Shego had given her that chance. It touched her in places that quivered and calmed whenever Yori was involved.

“There’s more to come, Cherry Blossom,” Shego quietly promised while wiping away tears flowing down Yori’s cheeks with her thumb. Yori leaned into her touch and pressed herself closer to Shego.

“I never knew… I never knew the world was so beautiful…” Yori whispered as she saw the sky touch the sea and the sun starting to disappear in a hail of dazzling orange glow. She had spent her life living in her mind, in her comics, in her anime, in a fantasy because she saw the ugliness and grit of the world as a ninja. But, here, she could tell there were places that were magnificent, beautiful in the best sense of the word, pure, and she wanted to experience more of them with the wonderful woman by her side.

“There’s a lot out there for you to see,” Shego replied, putting her arms around the ninja to pull her impossibly close to her.

Yori sniffled and her obsidian eyes shimmered. “Will you… will you take me more places?”

“Anywhere you want to go,” Shego vowed in a tender tone, looking Yori dead in the eye as she made that promise. She needed Yori to see how serious she was.

She wanted to give Yori everything she could ever want and things she might not even know she wanted. She could not let Yori go, and not just for the ninja’s sake, but for her own. Something about being with Yori made Shego feel so many things she could not give up without a fight. She _needed_ to be with Yori as much as Yori needed to be with her.

Yori nodded, but she did not say anything else. She continued to silently cry for a few minutes. She was open with her tears, knowing Shego would not judge her. Shego held her tight and allowed her the moving experience, dealing with her own emotions at the same time.

“There’s so much more where this came from,” Shego said once she noticed Yori stopped crying. Leaning down, she kissed the side of Yori’s head. 

“I hope I can survive it all. I have never been so…” Yori was not even sure what she wanted to say. It was beyond words. Instead, she turned to look Shego directly in the eye.

“You are amazing. You make me feel incredible, in ways I never knew were possible.”

“Once again, there’s more where this came from,” Shego remarked with a playful smirk. If Yori allowed her to do so, she would always make her feel incredible.

Yori smiled and cuddled closer into Shego, looking out into the world from Mauna Kea. The day had been breathtaking; it was the only way they both could think to describe it. It was more than the scenery, which was extraordinary. The company was what made the whole experience breathtaking.

“Well, we need to get going,” Shego suddenly declared.

“Why?” Yori asked, teeth chattering.

Shego smiled. “Because you’re shivering, babe. You didn’t expect it to be this cold, did you?” She rubbed Yori’s shoulder to help warm her up.

Yori chuckled a little with a sheepish blush tinting her already red cheeks. “I should have known it would be colder high up on the mountain. I did not think about that because I was just so excited,” she admitted in a mumble.

“It’s all right. I’ll keep you warm on the way down. Besides, there’s something else I want to take you to do since you’re so excited,” Shego explained.

“Something else?” Yori echoed, unable to fight her smile down. Her face lit up at the idea of doing more with Shego right now.

Shego smiled back, but she did not explain herself. They made it down the mountain after stargazing for a while. They went back to their hotel to change their clothes, which gave Yori a chance to guess what they were going to do because Shego pulled out swimsuits for them.

“Is it safe to swim at this hour?” Yori asked. Nighttime swimming did not seem like the best idea, especially if they would do it in the ocean.

“Just put this one.” Shego tossed Yori her swimsuit, which was a plain dark blue one-piece. Shego wished Yori would wear something more revealing, but she let it go. Yori’s comfort came before everything else. Besides, it was nice to know Yori did not have people checking her out because she was dressed provocatively.

The ninja let out a dramatic sigh, even though she made moves to put the suit on. She quietly followed Shego out of the room after they were both ready. They made their way to their destination, even though Yori still did not know what they were doing. They joined a group of people down by a dock and were given snorkeling equipment. They dived into the water and as lights shined in the sea, Yori was able to see what Shego wanted to surprise her with. They were swimming with large rays.

If Yori was not thinking, her mouth would have dropped open and she would have drowned right then and there. Instead of killing herself, she grabbed Shego’s hand and squeezed it tightly. She was delighted when Shego squeezed back. The pale woman smiled to herself as she watched Yori, almost certain she could see Yori’s eyes shining, like black diamonds. Yori was so beautiful in every meaning of the word.

-8-8-8-8-

“That was amazing!” Yori screamed as she leaped into Shego’s arms as soon as they crossed the threshold into their hotel room.

Shego did not even have time to respond. First, she had to make sure she caught Yori and balanced her properly to avoid dropping her. She tucked her arms underneath Yori and pressed the younger woman to her. The ninja put her arms on Shego’s shoulders, not really holding herself up, but wanting to touch her girlfriend as much as possible. Yori was interested in more intimate contact and came in for a kiss, hoping it would convey all of the passion, excitement, and gratitude she felt at the moment. The move was so quick she caught her girlfriend by surprise with the show of affection, not that Shego minded at all when those sweet lips came to meet her own.

Shego groaned because of the intense connection and had to adjust her head slightly, wanting more of Yori. The younger woman slipped her hand around Shego’s neck and put one hand behind Shego’s head to keep their contact. She practically clung to the thief for this kiss, legs locked around Shego’s waist. Shego growled when she felt slim fingers pressing her closer and tangling in her hair, sending small jolts through her body.

The taller woman went to the bed, needing a place to catch her as she felt her knees growing weaker with every second that the kiss went on. She sat on the edge, not wanting to soak the bedspread with their wet bathing suits. She shifted Yori’s legs to make sure she was comfortable, but still careful to not soak the bedspread.

Yori did not even notice their change in position with her sitting on Shego’s lap. It did not matter. Her lips refused to leave Shego’s delicious mouth and her hands remained lost in Shego’s thick hair. She wanted more of Shego’s mouth, more of Shego in general.

And Shego wanted more of Yori, but a voice in the back of her head kept reminding her to remain in control of herself. She only partially listened to that voice this time around. Pale green hands gently wandered at the petite, wet body on her lap, caressing whatever delightfully soft flesh she could touch. Every inch of Yori was amazing to touch.

Yori cried out into Shego’s mouth when she felt a curious hand caressing the swell of her breast. Her hips instinctively ground themselves again Shego, rubbing against Shego’s abdomen. The ninja moaned and whimpered as small tremors pulsed through her body, but did nothing for the growing passion she felt for her girlfriend.

“Shego…” Yori groaned as she broke the kiss. She threw her head back for a moment and the way her body arched against Shego made the older woman want to tell that responsible voice in her head to shut the hell up, so she could have her way with the beautiful ninja on her lap. But, her self-control continued to win the battle against her aching libido.

“Yes, Cherry Blossom?” Shego replied with a growl, not releasing her hold on any part of the younger woman. She pulled Yori closer, earning another deep moan.

“My body… it feels… so weird… everything…” Yori whimpered, feeling as if every nerve in her body tingled, sizzled really, burning for something she could not name. Her body trembled worse than ever before and she was not sure if anything would make it go away.

“It’s all right. Nothing’s wrong,” Shego promised in a purr. She knew that would reassure the younger woman, but really she was the one that needed reassuring. _You’re not really about to do this, are you? Come on, she’s not ready. You’ve gotta be the responsible one here_.

Shego growled under her breath, hoping her girlfriend did not hear. The voice in her head would not leave her alone while her body felt like it might implode if she kept listening to that voice. She needed Yori to make everything better, even though she was all too aware Yori thought Shego would be the one who made everything better.

“What… to… do?” the ninja panted in frustration, leaning her head against her girlfriend’s shoulder. This ache she felt, throbbing everywhere, including her teeth, it was so much more powerful than anything she was used to. She did not know how to make it go away because of how strong the unknown need was. She did not know what it was, but she knew it had something to do with Shego and the way they touched. She thought Shego might be able to make it go away.

“Whatever you feel like you’re ready for, Cherry Blossom,” the green-skinned woman whispered into the waiting ear of the ninja.

“Ready?” Yori echoed, her flushed brow wrinkling. Ready for what? She blinked as the question ran through her mind until it turned into a statement just out of reach. Ready. “Ready.”

Shego watched Yori’s face, hoping for realization to reach her eyes. Her heart pounded in her chest, her body at the ready for any signal they could continue. _What if she doesn’t get it? What if she never gets it?_ Shego would spend the rest of her life in celibacy then.

Yori shook her head as she took in the new sensations and squinted as she took stock of everything. It was like she guessed what was going on, but she was not totally convinced her guess was correct. She had been wrong plenty of times in her life, after all.

Shego smiled, still finding the younger woman adorable, even now. “What do you think would come next if this was an anime or a manga?”

Yori’s brow remained furrowed. She did not understand the question at first because most of her collection centered on action or mystery. She had not crossed into romance and drama, but sometimes that could be a backstory for most of her collection. So, she tried to think what two characters would do in their positions. She ran through several items in her head before she figured it out.

Shego knew the instant the realization dawned on her girlfriend. Onyx eyes opened wide for a brief moment, there was a small gasp, and a crimson flush overtook the dull red of overheated skin. Yori gulped and focused on Shego, obsidian staring into jade.

“You mean… this… and that…?” Yori asked, her voice coming in a breath. She wondered when they would get to that point in their relationship.

“If that’s what you’re ready for, Cherry Blossom. It’s up to you,” Shego answered, even though her body wanted her to demand Yori put her out of her misery. It was not possible for her mouth to say that, though. Her heart and mind would not allow her to.

Yori was silent for a moment, staring at her girlfriend with intense concentration. “Do we have to?” she asked quietly. Her heart thumped loudly at the thought and a shiver raced down her spine to more intimate parts as her mind conjured up the image of Shego caressing her bare skin, of her doing the same to Shego. She swallowed hard and felt heat flare through her.

“It’s all up to you, Yori. It’s all up to you,” Shego replied in a whisper. She would do whatever Yori wanted to do and nothing more, she silently vowed while running her fingertips up and down Yori’s back.

Yori nodded to show that she understood. “Do you want to…?” she asked in a breath, taking in the wonderful feel of Shego’s fingers dancing along her skin. A long exhale escaped her as she thought about what those fingers would feel like all over her. She began to feel pretty certain in what she desired, but a little something inside of her held back and continued questioning.

“It doesn’t matter what _I_ want. This is about you and what you’re ready for, babe. I will wait for you, always. I would never try to get you to do something you weren’t ready to do,” Shego replied. She had never meant something more in her life. Everyone took from Yori for her entire life. She would never be one of those people.

“I… I think… I might want to…” Her mouth said one thing, but her eyes still spoke of hesitation and confusion. She knew what held her back now and she feared it might always hold her back.

Emerald eyes gave her a stern, but caring look as she caressed Yori’s cheek. “I want you to be sure.”

“I think… I ache… for you…” Yori could not believe she said that and felt a blush burn her face. She also hardly understood what she meant, but she knew her body wanted Shego very badly in ways she could not imagine.

Shego smiled a little and rubbed the small of Yori’s back. “That doesn’t mean we have to do anything. I know that look, after all.” She brought up her index finger and massaged the wrinkled area between Yori’s eyebrows. The older woman lifted Yori’s body up a bit with her free hand, feeling her retreat would show they did not have to do anything.

The ninja shook her head and pulled Shego back to her. “It is not that I do not want to. I do not know how,” she reminded Shego. That was a big problem for her. Not fear and definitely not a lack of desire. She did not know how to do what she now knew she wanted to do. Her mangas and anime never went very far when it came to the characters being intimate with each other. It did not help that almost nothing she read or saw handled how two women were intimate.

It was the thief’s turn to gulp. Okay, so she had made a mistake and read Yori slightly wrong. She had not expected that and now she had some trouble processing it. They could do this. Shego’s heart pounded in her chest and her mind spun. She shook her head to focus. She eyed her girlfriend for a moment, taking in the step Yori wanted to take. Staring into Yori’s eyes made her lose focus again, mind tilted, buzzing, and body on fire.

Yori, on the other hand, thought Shego might try to talk her out of this, assuming she was not ready. Yori was certain she was. Yori wanted this and she did not want Shego to back away, thinking she was protecting the naive ninja.

“Will you… will you show me?” Yori requested, staring deeply into darkened jade eyes.

Shego almost swallowed her tongue. “Are you… are you sure…?” Her voice shook and her palms were sweaty. She felt like a fumbling virgin, mostly because she literally had a virgin in her hands. She had to take a breath after that, as her mind started to swirl even more. It was almost like she might pass out. She did not think when this moment finally came she would have to worry about faint. She was too cool to faint.

“I am very sure, Shego-chan. I trust you and I would love nothing more than to… make love with you…” Yori said earnestly with quiet passion. She then regarded Shego with curious eyes and tilted her head slightly. “Do you not want that?” she asked in a low, frightened voice.

The realization slammed into Yori and dropped into her stomach like a hot stone. It was always possible Shego did not want her. Maybe she was too immature. Maybe she was not worldly enough for Shego. She glanced away, not wanting to see her girlfriend’s face if that was confirmed.

“Of course I want that. I just want to be sure you’re ready. I don’t want you to regret it,” Shego replied, caressing the ninja’s smooth cheek. She would be so crushed if Yori ended up disliking their time together for whatever the reason. Shego would go so far as to say it would probably kill her.

Shaking her head, Yori squinted as she stared at Shego. “How could I regret anything with you, Shego-chan?” She looked almost like Shego just told her the moon would never shine again. It did not make any sense to her.

Shego smiled a little. “You’re too much, Cherry Blossom.”

“I wish for this feeling to never end… and… I wish for us… to know each other… as intimately as possible. I cannot think of anyone I would rather be with than you,” the ninja said soundly. She trusted no one like she trusted Shego, the only person to truly care about her for who she was. The one person to let her find out who she was. She was certain sharing her body with Shego would be nothing short of magical.

Shego took a sharp breath. “And you’re sure?”

Yori’s respond was to lean in for another kiss. Shego accepted and welcomed the push of Yori’s tongue. The kiss was hot, almost a little dirty and did nothing to calm either of their bodies. After a full minute, Yori pulled away a little and ground her hips into Shego’s abdomen again. Fiery jolts flashed through Yori’s body and she needed more.

“Please, Shego, love me,” Yori requested in a breathless tone. “I want you. I need you.”

Shego did not need anything more than those words. She had to take a deep breath to keep herself calm, not wanting to tear at her girlfriend and also not wanting to freak out at this moment finally arriving. She would be Yori’s first and she wanted to do this right. She wanted Yori’s first time to be like a first time should be, all the storybook romance and everything.

Shego went in for a gentle kiss, one full of adoration and promise. Yori returned the show of affection, moaning slightly as warm fingers started to move slowly against her skin. Shego rolled over, changing their positions, which broke their kiss for just a moment. Yori whined in disappointment.

Shego smiled and stroked Yori’s cheek before leaning in for another passionate kiss. The younger woman let loose a squeal as the kiss began to heat up, as did the fingers wandering her body. Yori wiggled against Shego’s body while giving herself up completely to the kiss. She threw her arms around Shego, trying to pull her closer. She arched against Shego, moving against her. With shots of bliss going through her, Yori wanted more, needed more.

Shego growled and pulled away slightly to hiss as she felt Yori rubbing up against her with more vigor than ever before. Her blood felt like it might boil right out of her body and she did not want to go too quickly. This was special. Shego put a hand on Yori’s hip, hoping to halt the movements. Yori took the hint and peered at Shego with questioning onyx eyes as Shego pulled away slightly.

“Calm down, Cherry Blossom, or this is going to be over very fast,” the older thief warned the ninja. Yori should be able to savor her first time.

“I do not care. I want you, worse than before,” Yori confessed. She blushed again and glanced down briefly. That kiss had enflamed her body, like she was drowning in an active volcano, and she wanted so much more now.

Shego beamed, flattered by those honest words, before going in for another kiss. Yori met her with just as much energy, moaning slightly again in Shego’s tender mouth. The ninja could have sworn she experienced all of Shego’s affection enter her through the kiss and tender touching. She tightened her arms around the older woman, trying to get closer and feel more, not just physically, but emotionally.

A purr rumbled through Shego’s throat as she felt Yori trying to press them closer. Slowly and steady, green fingers traveled up Yori’s back and went to remove her bathing suit. Yori did not object as she felt the garment being pulled away. A sigh of relief actually escaped the ninja as she was freed from the suit. Shego pulled away, breaking their kiss, and left Yori in a momentary daze.

The entire world seemed to pause as Shego took in the beautiful treasure she uncovered. “You are a delight, simply precious and utterly beautiful.” She felt like it needed to be said, in case Yori did not know or did not understand. Hell, seeing it for herself in entirety made Shego want to admire Yori for the rest of the night.

Yori made a noise and remained still while Shego’s eyes drank in her bare chest. It seemed appropriate for Yori’s breasts to be capped with dark pink nipples. Shego wanted to pinch, suck, and bite them, but would hold off. She had to be gentle right now.

A faint blush spread through the ninja’s creamy body from the way Shego watched her, like the words she said could only be the truth. She felt totally naked in every way imaginable and she knew she could only be that way for Shego. This thought made Yori very happy and secure and she wanted Shego to know that. 

“Should I…?” Yori asked, putting her hands on the straps of Shego’s suit. She figured the best way to show she was comfortable was by returning the favor.

“Please,” Shego begged in a strained voice.

Yori smirked and yanked the suit down her girlfriend’s torso, licking her lips as she took in the sight of Shego glorious body. It was like Shego was chiseled from marble. Perfect did not cover it. Her skin was clear, not a mark on her despite years of fighting. Her mouth watered when she took in the sight of Shego’s breasts, topped with dark green nipples. She wanted to taste each part of Shego.

Immediately, Yori’s hands wanted to be everywhere and she did not know where to start. It did not help she trembled at the sight. Yori's blood felt like it was rushed through her, her heart went too fast, and she was scared she might start hyperventilating, knowing they were closer to the moment of truth. The anticipation was almost too much for the ninja and her heart rate increased as Shego continued on. 

“You can touch if you want,” Shego offered, hoping to get them both comfortable and accustomed to that.

Yori nodded, but she did not move. She could not move. All she could do was stare and wish. Shego smiled softly.

“It’s okay, sweetheart. Can you tell me what you want?” Shego asked.

“To feel you,” Yori found herself saying. She was not sure what she meant by that, but glad some words made it out of her mouth. The last thing she wanted was for Shego to think she was too scared to continue.

Shego leaned forward, careful of having their bodies slowly come into full contact. Sparks burst through her whole body. Yori blushed from the sensation. She doubt her heart could go any faster without killing her, but she wanted so much more. Shego moved her lips next to a flushed ear, kissing the shell of the ear, before nipping a delectable earlobe. Yori yelped and then moaned, holding onto Shego as if her life depended on it.

“You like that?” Shego asked.

Yori could only nod and moan as Shego’s breath tickled her ear. Her hands wandered up and down Shego’s back, feeling the taut muscles underneath. She wanted to feel even more of Shego. Her leg hooked around one of Shego’s thighs.

The thief thought it might be best to move up on the bed a little further and get completely out of their wet bathing suits. She made sure not to lose contact with Yori as she pushed herself back to the middle of the bed, but eventually she had to move to get them both naked. She pulled Yori’s swimsuit off and tossed it behind her. She wiggled out of her bottoms and kicked away it away as clung to her ankles.

“You’re so beautiful,” Shego said, taking another moment to appreciate Yori in all her glory before resuming her place on top of the younger woman.

Yori shuddered as Shego settled on her again, kissing her. Her hands got lost in Shego’s hair as her body felt like it was on fire from the press of Shego to her. Shego pulled away for a moment and Yori noticed their new position. Shego was on top of her, pressed against her, and it was amazing. She looked up at Shego with curious eyes.

“Is there something wrong? You want to stop?” Shego asked in a breath, hoping that was not the case. She did not think she had done anything wrong, but guilt crushed her heart already and burned her lungs, thinking she might have gone too far. The sheer possibility of hurting Yori made her feel like a monster in ways villainy never did.

“No. I have just… You have never… I am usually on top of you…” Yori explained with another blush.

Shego nodded. This was true. It allowed Yori to control the situation. “We can change if you like.” Maybe it would be best if Yori controlled this.

Yori shook her head. “No, this is fine.” She would like to experience something different and she was definitely new to being underneath her girlfriend. It was a delight.

Shego smiled and kissed behind Yori’s ear. From there, she trailed a path of wet kisses down Yori’s neck to collarbones, earning light mewing noises from the ninja. She kissed Yori’s pulse point and felt it racing under her lips. The smile that brought to her lips was nothing like any smile she had ever wore; it was warm, loving, and proud. The kisses paused right below Yori’s collarbone, earning a light whine.

“Shego,” Yori begged in a breath.

“Yes, Cherry Blossom?” Shego asked, lips so close to Yori’s skin it was a wonder how they were not touching.

“Why did you stop?”

“Only to appreciate your beauty face,” Shego remarked, smiling and staring at Yori’s face. Onyx eyes were half-mast and well on their way to being fully shut if Shego had anything to say about it.

Yori smiled from the compliment and Shego doubted she would ever feel the sense of pride she currently did from making Yori feel good. She placed a gentle kiss to partially opened lips before continuing her exploration of the lovely body beneath her. She worked her way down to Yori’s chest and kissed around the swell of each breast, causing Yori to sharply inhale and clutch onto Shego’s back. The ninja found out how sensitive certain parts of her body were could be.

“Please,” Yori said sharply. She was not sure what she was saying please for, though.

Shego nipped and gently bit tempting, creamy mounds when she felt Yori’s blunt nails dig into her back. Fireworks popped through her with each scratch. Shego wanted to make Yori hold her tighter and feel the greatest ecstasy of her young life. And, afterward, she wanted to do it again and again.

“You taste so good,” Shego said, dragging her tongue between the valley of Yori’s breasts.

Yori made noises she never knew existed as it felt like her girlfriend’s hands and mouth were everywhere. The sensations she felt seemed otherworldly to her and the ninja could not help wondering if she was actually dreaming. Next, she moaned so loudly she knew she had to be awake because that sound would have jolted anyone from a sound rest. Shego flicked her nipple with her tongue and grazed it with her teeth.

“Shego,” Yori purred as tears formed in the corners of her eyes while shocks of pleasure buzzed through her. She did not think anything could feel so good. She had never considered her breasts could be so sensitive.

The thief did not say anything in response. She switched sites, giving the twin just as much attention with her mouth as she had the other. Yori arched into the working mouth, begging for more. Shego obliged, taking in as much of Yori as she could, wanting to give to Yori as much as she could. Yori whimpered and wiggled underneath the older woman. Shego smiled to herself.

“Yes, Shego-chan,” Yori sighed, running her fingers through Shego’s hair. “Yes.” She let loose a low breath that became a moan.

Shego enjoyed each lick and suck of Yori’s breast and nipples, marking them as hers. After spending a significant amount of time with Yori’s breasts, Shego had to move on, craving more of the delicious body beneath her. She licked her way to the valley of Yori’s small, creamy breasts and then started on her path downward. She paused at Yori’s milky stomach, having the urge to look at her lover’s face.

A smile worked it’s way onto Shego’s lips as she took in Yori’s expression. Onyx eyes were closed tight and a dazed, crooked smile adorned Yori’s face. Yori panted and tried to open her eyes completely to see why Shego had stopped, but she could not manage it. One eye did open when Shego did not start again and a grin appeared on Yori’s face as soon as she noticed Shego watched her with fondness in her eyes.

“You all right?” Shego asked to be sure.

Yori nodded; she was not capable of verbal communication anymore. Her mind was a jumble of nonsense that only knew the magnificent things Shego was doing with her hands and mouth. She stared at Shego, her eyes begging for Shego to continue.

“I’ll take care of you,” Shego promised.

Shego’s mouth went back to its journey, tracing over Yori’s smooth skin. She ran her hands up and down toned legs, mesmerized by the soft, strong limbs. How could something so soft be so deadly? It did not matter. Pale hands wandered from the outside to the inside and up to her thighs, gliding almost as if she was not trying to feel much. 

Yori whimpered again from the ghost-like caressing and shifted, leaning deeper into the touches. Shego pressed more against her, but kept her touches light and tender. With each pass of her hands, she got a little closer to the center of Yori’s body, as if trying to prepare her for what was next. Yori throbbed with anticipation.

Shego peppered kisses around Yori’s thighs and her waist. Yori actually bucked a little against her, as if her body knew what was next. Shego took a deep breath as she drew closer to her goal, not wanting to lose control now. Soft, butterfly kisses moved up the inside of Yori’s legs and her whole body twitched when a kiss landed on her core. Yori was light and sweet and Shego felt like she could drink her in forever and always. The littler noises spilling from Yori’s throat only added to it and Shego never wanted to leave from between Yori’s thighs.

Ecstasy shot through Yori and she almost closed her legs from the surprise, but Shego caught her. Shego continued on with the soft kisses before Yori let out a moan of sweet surrender, giving herself over to the pure pleasure of Shego’s mouth. Shego figured it was safe to apply more pressure once she felt Yori relax. The moans increased in volume as Shego’s mouth and hands caressed her in ways she never imagined possible.

Yori’s legs suddenly locked around the ankles, keeping her attached to Shego, feeling as much of Shego as she could. The ninja’s body began moving without her permission, bucking against Shego’s face, trying to keep pace with Shego’s busy lips and tongue. She could easily come addicted to Shego’s mouth. Her breath hitched as she felt featherlight caresses from a slim digit, slowly joining in with Shego’s mouth on her most intimate area.

“Shego…?” Yori’s voice shook.

“Relax, Cherry Blossom. You know I would never hurt you, right?”

Yori nodded and moaned as Shego proceeded. Her body tensed slightly as Shego’s finger once again moved to join her mouth. Shego groaned as she pressed into Yori, slowly, giving the ninja time to adjust. Yori let out a long groan and bucked against the finger, wanting to give herself over to the intruder.

“Shego,” Yori groaned, pulling Shego deeper.

“Relax, go slow,” Shego murmured, not moving just yet. She was in awe at the way Yori felt around her finger. Being inside Yori was like being embraced by eternity.

Yori’s response was another low moan while Shego inched her way into the warmth that was her girlfriend. Yori’s entire body bucked when Shego eased her finger out and then back in. She keened and wailed, sparks flashing before her closed eyes. 

The ninja never felt something so… wonderful. It was like every nerve-ending in her body was alive and being overloaded with sheer bliss. She almost curled into a ball when Shego’s mouth returned, tongue lapping at a part of her felt otherworldly. She could hardly process what was happening. She did not have time to try to keep up before her whole being exploded into what had to be pure light. Her back bowed and her body shook before she dropped to the mattress, limp and worn out. 

Shego beamed because of her handiwork while easing out Yori. She moved up the bed and pulled Yori into a tight hug. The ninja curled into Shego and buried her head into Shego’s chest. The older woman stroked Yori’s head as her body started to calm down. Yori could not help smiling as she felt Shego caressing her. She wrapped her arm around Shego’s waist and fought off falling asleep right away.

“Wow, that was intense,” the younger woman whispered.

“Yeah, it certainly was,” Shego concurred. Intense was the only way for her to describe it since she was pretty much satisfied with giving Yori pleasure. That had never happened before. She was rarely a big giver when it came to sex, but then she realized that was not sex they just had. It was as Yori requested; they had made love. She could hardly believe how mushy she was now, but Yori turned her into a big ball of sentiment.

“Is it always like that?” Yori asked.

Shego shook her head. “I think that’s something we’re going to have to learn together. I’ve never experienced anything like this before in my life.” It was sweet and beautiful. 

“I hope it will always be like that, but I would love nothing more than to learn if it is with you. Is that all right?” Yori’s voice was small, unsure. She hoped it was all right to make plans on the future with Shego since it was thanks to Shego that she could picture having a future.

“Of course it is.” Shego kissed Yori’s sweat-drenched forehead.

Yori did not say anything in reply. She sighed and rested her head against Shego’s chest, right next to her beating heart. The steady, soothing noise made sure Yori was asleep within seconds. Shego drifted off, too, not surprised she felt sated just from bringing Yori to new heights of pleasure. 

-8-8-8-8- 

Next time: The couple arrives in Japan.


	4. Back to Reality

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own these characters; Disney does.

4: Back to Reality

Yori loathed leaving Hawaii. The places where she learned and felt her emotions for Shego deepen beyond comprehension. She needed to go back to Japan, even if the idea sent a ball of dread directly to her guts. It was a new sensation for her and she was not sure how she would handle it if she was on her own. She was happy Shego was by her side. She did not know what she did to have someone like Shego in her life, but she was grateful for the older woman every single day. She glanced over at the object of her thoughts, who was seated right next to her on their flight to Japan.

Shego was sound asleep, pillow tucked under her head, which was against the side of the chair. Her face was relaxed and a small smile was on her lips. She had worn herself out in Hawaii, but she loved every second of it. She could not figure out what it was about Yori, but the ninja had done something to her. Shego did not want to totally acknowledge what that something was. Magic of some kind or something like it. She tried her best not to think about it, but she had not managed it very well while they were in Hawaii.

The green-skinned thief kept thinking about that something in Hawaii because she did so many things Yori wanted to do. It was not her typical vacation. In fact, the whole vacation was about Yori. Shego did not mind it at all. She had fun, actually, and she knew it was because Yori was there. Yori’s presence was always enough for her.

What started out as her trying to help the ninja get over the messed up programming put into her by her school had developed into something Shego did not want to name. Instead, she let it linger and float around the back of her mind. It was like the purple elephant in the living room and she damn sure was not planning to say anything about it. Sometimes, it felt like a bomb and she was waiting for it to explode, leaving a mess and a corpse behind.

Yori could understand the feeling. Right now, it felt like she had a bomb in her hands and it would blow the second they reached Japan. Her stomach twisted as dread took hold and claws at her nerves. Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm down, but found it difficult.

Yori took Shego’s hand in hers and immediately felt a tranquility descend upon her. She decided to spend her idle time playing with Shego’s fingers. She thought about those warm fingers and blushed as she recalled what those long digits could do to her. Somehow, those deadly digits could bring the greatest of pleasure as well. She shuddered as memories rushed through her and had to take a deep breath to calm down.

She traced one of Shego’s fingers, memorizing the lines to occupy her mind. She thought on how Shego’s hands were softer than her own. _Probably because Shego wears gloves whenever she fights_. _Actually, whenever she trains_. Yori looked at her own hands and rubbed her thumb against her rough palm. She might start wearing gloves, too. She wanted her hands to be soft when she touched Shego.

The thought sent a jolt down her spine. One day, she would touch Shego as Shego had touched her through their time in Hawaii. She wanted to do those things. She wanted to have Shego wiggle and writhe beneath her. She wanted to hear Shego’s sounds and swallow her moans. She wanted so much with Shego. She wanted everything with Shego.

She tried to do something, but hesitated too often. Shego let it go and took care of her. It was not that she was not ready. She was nervous. She was not sure she would be able to return all of the pleasure Shego had given her, but one day she would work up the courage to try. One day, her fingers would be as knowledgable about Shego, just as Shego’s fingers knew her so intimately.

After a while, the older woman woke up and noticed Yori playing with her fingers. Shego smiled without realizing it and took a moment to revel in Yori’s interest in her fingers. She could not help feeling a bit perverse for enjoying the attention, but that did not stop her. She leaned over to place a kiss to Yori’s head. The ninja’s face lit up when she realized Shego was awake.

“You must be bored,” Shego said, trying to hold back a yawn. She failed. She glanced down at her hand, so the younger woman knew what she referred to. The ninja picked up on it immediately.

“Not really. I am quite fascinated with all parts that are you,” Yori replied in a low voice of her own, continuing to play with Shego’s fingers. She smiled a bit when the fingers curled around her own for a few seconds.

“Well, in case you do get bored, check in my bag for a surprise,” Shego said. She shifted in her seat and emerald eyes drifted shut again.

“A surprise?” Yori echoed and her eyebrows pulled in closer to each other, but Shego did not respond.

The ninja looked at her lover and knew Shego was asleep again. Curiosity beat out the contentment that came from fiddling around with Shego’s hand. She reached down, grabbed Shego’s carryon bag, and opened it. She was not sure what bounty she sought, but she found it on top of everything. She pulled out a portable DVD player with had a post-it attached to it. The post-it read: _Watch a couple of your anime DVDs on this and relax. Everything’ll be fine. Ask me if you can’t figure out how to work the DVD player_.

Yori was able to figure out the portal DVD player since she had used a regular DVD player since on assignment with Drakken and Shego. She grinned when she saw what anime Shego packed for her. Watching her favorite movies kept her mind off of Yamanouchi and wondering just what Master Sensei wanted with her. 

-8-8-8-8- 

Yori and Shego stood at the foot of the mountain that housed Yori’s ninja school. A cold wind blew and it sliced through Yori, carving into her in ways she would never be able to describe. She tried to mentally prep herself to break the rules. She had always been the model student, never doing anything wrong. Now, technically, she was not breaking the rules since she did not plan to bring Shego completely inside the school, but it was still wrong. If Master Sensei found out, surely he would be disappointed in her and punish her. Just thinking of his disappointment made Yori pause, even now.

Her stomach was in a knot again. What if Master Sensei punished her by forcing her to stay at the school? She would not get to see Shego again or even hang out with Drakken. The very idea made her want to throw up. Yori had never felt such nerves before, not even in life threatening situations. How did people make it through the day with such anxiety weighing them down?

“Cherry Blossom, don’t worry. It’ll be all right,” Shego assured the younger woman, gently caressing her back. She could tell by the distant look in those onyx eyes that Yori was over-thinking the situation and allowed her programming to take over again.

“I have never done anything like this…” Yori took a deep breath, relaxing somewhat because of the sweet fingers rubbing her back. Shego thought she referred to bringing an outsider into the school, but found out differently. “I hope this meeting truly has nothing to do with taking me off of this assignment.”

“I’m sure it’s just to talk about your contract or something,” Shego tried to reassure her. She was not totally sure what she would do if that was not the case, but she knew it would not be something good. After all, she already hated the school for brainwashing Yori. Heaven help them if they try to take Yori from her. She would burn everything.

“What if it is not?” Yori muttered under her breath. Her throat felt a little tight and she swallowed, but it did little for her. She did not know what she was going to do if the meeting was something serious.

“We should get moving, not like the school is going to come down to us,” Shego remarked with a small smile, trying to lighten the mood. She did not think they should worry until there was a reason to do so.

Yori took a deep breath and nodded. Shego gave her hand a little squeeze, trying to help her through this. The ninja smiled at her. Shego leaned down, kissing the corner of Yori’s mouth.

“Let’s just see what it’s about before anything, okay?” Shego said, trying to keep Yori calm. Yori gave her another nod.

They started up the mountain, taking a less used path. The ninja did this with the hope they would not be spotted. She knew the areas to avoid, or so she hoped, where someone might be training or slacking off or anything like that. She did not want to risk starting trouble if someone saw her bringing Shego up the mountain.

“This is definitely the road less traveled, huh, Cherry Blossom?” Shego snickered as they had to climb over a boulder blocking the narrow, crumbling pathway.

“I do not wish to get caught bringing an outsider in,” Yori reminded her lover.

Shego shot Yori a grin. “I know. I know. I’m just teasing.”

Yori wrinkled her nose. “You know I do not get teasing quite so well.”

“Which is weird. I mean, you’d think being around me for a year, you’d have teasing and sarcasm down.”

“Is this path agreeable with you?”

Shego held off on rolling her eyes. “Yes, it’s fine. I know we’re going this way because you don’t want to get in trouble. It’s fine.”

Yori was surprised Shego agreed to this so easily. The ninja knew how disagreeable Shego could be after spending a year with the thief and Doctor Drakken. She also noted how lazy Shego could be if given the chance, so she was not sure if Shego actually minded the tough climb they had ahead of them, especially after the teasing. She had no doubt Shego could do it, but she just was not sure Shego wanted to.

“Are you sure this is all right?” Yori inquired.

“It’s fine. Come on,” Shego replied, doing a shooing motion with her hands.

Yori chuckled and did not argue. She was quite pleased the pale woman made things easy on her and agreed to the hike. Shego winked at her.

The pair marched up the mountain in silence. Shego wanted to complain, but she kept her comments to herself. _I hate being the mature one_ _sometimes_. Most of the time, she enjoyed being the grown-up and taking care of Yori. It was a lot more fun than being the grown-up and pointing out what an idiot Drakken was and trying to take care of him. But, there were a few times when she just wanted to piss and moan as she had gotten into the habit of doing with Drakken. She wondered if she would ever get to that point with Yori.

Suddenly, Yori reached out and took Shego’s hand in hers and Shego did not want to complain about anything at all. She doubted she would ever want to complain to Yori if a simple move like holding hands could calm her so easily. _How can this girl do this to me?_ Shego decided she did not care _how_ Yori could do it to her as long as the feeling continued.

The hike was long and hard and neither said a word to each other throughout the trip. Even as dark settled on the mountain, they were quiet and they came to a plateau. There were thick woods covering the land and Yori pulled Shego into them. The pale woman glanced around the forest, taking in the scene. It actually looked like something out of a horror movie. The branches were all crooked, cracked, and bent sharp angles. There were leaves covering some of the dark trees, but not much. The deeper they went, though, the more leaves showed up, giving them more cover. The leaves seemed darker than they should, as if they were closer to black than green. Shego did not say anything because the color provided them with more cover, but it was a little creepy.

“There should be a cabin somewhere around here,” Yori said, glancing around for the cabin and also to make sure they were not being stalked.

“It wouldn’t happen to have hot water, would it?” Shego asked with a teasing smile, sweat rolling down her cheek. She would love a hot shower, though. 

Yori’s face fell and she looked away. “Uh… I am sorry, Shego-san. There is no water in the cabin at all.” She hoped that did not bother Shego. Her lover was used to the finer things in life and that was definitely evident during their time in Hawaii. She wished she could give Shego that, but it was impossible at the moment.

“I had a feeling about that. It’s okay, Cherry Blossom. Although I am a city gal, I can definitely rough it for a few days, especially if it means I get to take you back to civilization,” Shego remarked. She had lived through some tough times in her life and she would endure for the moment. 

The younger woman could not help the smile that conquered her face. She hoped she would be able to leave with Shego. She tried to think positive, like Shego seemed to be doing, but there was a feeling deep in her guts that would not allow it. It felt like her stomach tied itself in a knot and she did not think that was a good sign. She trusted her instincts and every part of her disliked this.

“Is that the cabin?” Shego asked, breaking Yori away from her negative thoughts. She pointed a little to the left and ahead of them.

The ninja squinted a little as she peered off into the distance. “Yes, that is it. I hope you will be all right while you are there.”

“I’ll be fine, Cherry Blossom. I’m a big girl. You go handle your business and I’ll hold things down here,” Shego tried to assure her girlfriend, giving her a confident half-smile while she spoke. She would have to be fine. Yori needed her to be strong.

“Are you sure?” Yori asked, turning to face Shego and searching emerald eyes to make sure she was going to be all right.

“I’ll be fine. I have camped out and shit before. Now, you go find out what the hell these people want from you while I get settled in, okay?” Shego caressed Yori’s cheek, hoping to help settle her nerves.

Yori nodded, figuring Shego made some sense. She would like to get things over with, if only to find out what Master Sensei really wanted with her. She could not take having anxiety like this. Before leaving, though, she went into the cabin with Shego to check things out.

The cabin was old and dusty. Shego would not have been surprised if it was blown away by a light breeze. The floor creaked and groaned with every shift of their bodies. It had one room and a fire pit in the center of the room.

“It sounds like we might fall through the floor if we step too hard,” Shego said and she was totally serious. It was a good thing they were both light on their feet.

“I do believe this place is from several centuries ago and no one has lived in it for a very long time,” Yori replied.

“I can believe that.” Shego leaned against the wall, wanting to check the wood. It was covered in dust, but did not make any noises like the floor. The place seemed sturdy enough — hey, she did not fall through the wall — so Shego figured she should be fine in for a few days.

“Are you all right with this?” Yori asked.

“I doubt it’s going to fall down in a heavy wind, even though it does look that way,” Shego replied, eyes wandering up and down the dirt-caked walls. There did not seem to be any signs she would be sharing the cabin with anything that would cause a problem, which she supposed was good. A crazy animal would probably be a welcomed distraction when Yori left, though. It would keep her from worrying about the ninja being back at that school without any support right there. 

“I am so sorry for this, Shego-san,” Yori apologized, eyes down, staring at her feet in shame.

“Cherry Blossom, you don’t have to apologize. I wanted to come.” Shego turned her attention to her lover and embraced her. “It’ll be fine. By this time next week, we’ll be laughing about our crazy trip to Japan where I had to sleep on the floor and had bugs crawling all over me.” The idea made her want to groan, but she also felt like it was true.

“You think so?” the younger woman asked in a small voice. She hoped that was the truth. She wrapped her arms around the thief, as if hugging Shego would make her words completely true.

“I know so.” Shego caressed Yori’s hair. “Now, I’ll be fine. I’ve got my sleeping bag, food, and water for a few days. I’ll be totally fine.”

“Okay. There is a small creek a little further into the woods. So, if you run out of water or if you want to take a quick bath, you can do it there. I am sure there are berries around here to eat if you need something sweet,” Yori said.

“Yori, I will be fine!” Shego promised again with a huge grin, hoping that would drive things home for her girlfriend.

Yori offered her a small smile and a light blush she would barely see. “Okay, sorry. I am just so nervous.”

Shego held onto the younger woman tighter. “There’s nothing to worry about. Go ahead to the school. I’ll be right here, so you know where to find me if you need to talk again.”

Yori took a deep breath and reveled in the feeling of being in the strong arms of her lover for a few more moments. She allowed the embrace to give her strength and she finally stepped away from Shego after what seemed like an eternity to them. Onyx eyes focused on emerald for what seemed like another eternity, trying to tell Shego everything inside of her without saying a word.

“Go on,” Shego encouraged her, slapping her lightly on the ass to get her moving.

Yori let out a surprised yelp and her eyes went wide, but she did not say anything. She took off out of the door. Shego chuckled to herself and then finally took in where she was going to stay. She frowned and shook her head.

“Okay, I’ve got it bad for this girl if I’m willing to put up with this shit,” Shego commented to herself… and whatever wildlife hid around the place. It was the only way for her to explain how she was in Japan and not staying in one of the greatest hotels in Tokyo or Kyoto or somewhere equally fabulous. Instead, she was in a dilapidated cabin on a remote mountain with no running water or heat. _Perfect_.

She double-checked out her surroundings to make sure she was alone. The woods were quiet, in a creepy sense. There was no movement around her, not even from any animals from what she could tell. The wind did not rustle the leaves. There was nothing. She marched through the forest and found the stream Yori told her about. It was there she saw her first signs of life; there were tiny fish moving around in the clear water.

“For a second, I thought I might be caught in a damned horror flick. All I need right now is some ninja in a hockey mask trying to hack me to bits with a rusty chain saw,” the thief said to herself while returning to the cabin.

She started setting herself up around the cabin, pulling out her sleeping bag. She put the bag in a corner after brushing away as much of the dust as she could using a leaf-covered tree branch. If only she knew to pack a broom and a mop. After laying out her bag, she checked on what types of food she had and estimated how long it would last. She did her best to keep her mind from wandering to Yori, but it was impossible. She did not want to think about what might be happening to her girlfriend in that damned school.

“That Master Sensei bastard better not try to brainwash her anymore than he already has or I’ll kick his ass,” Shego vowed to the warm night air. She was not going to let that school or Master Sensei or anyone control Yori again. Yori deserved to live her life the way she wanted. It was her life, after all.

-8-8-8-8- 

The cabin was on a higher plateau than the school, so Yori came into the school from the air rather than going through the front gate. She landed soundlessly onto the roof of one of the many buildings around the campus. She took in the still area, noting there was no movement anywhere. She knew it was past curfew, so the students were in their rooms already. She frowned, thinking about how she would be in her room right now if she still lived there while if she was home with Shego, they would be out right now, probably at a show or dinner, living their lives. Even if they were at the condo, she would have been able to watch something on television and cuddle with Shego on their couch.

Yori stuck to the rooftops, even though she knew there was a great chance of that catching someone’s attention. She felt like she was a good enough ninja to make it to Master Sensei’s dwelling before someone caught her. It turned out she was almost right. She made it to the building, but as soon as she was about to enter, two guards ambushed her. Before a fight broke out and Yori risked injury from their weapons, she made a quick hand signal, which let them know she was a member of the school. All movement ceased. 

“Who are you?” one of the guards inquired in a suspicious voice.

“Yori. I was summoned by Master Sensei,” she answered.

They nodded and did not ask any further questions, showing they expected her. They lowered their weapons and escorted her into the building. She was taken to a small sitting room and told to wait there. She kneeled down on the floor, sitting on her feet and resting her hands on her knees as she waited for her teacher to show up. Minutes ticked by, but she did not move from where she was, even as her heart rate increased.

She knew from personal experience Master Sensei moved at his own pace, but right now, the waiting caused the stone in her stomach grow. The weight felt like it crushed her insides and her heart strained in her chest as it beat faster and faster. Her ribs might not survive if this took any longer.

“Yori,” Master Sensei greeted her as he finally entered the room. 

“Sensei,” she replied in an even voice. She was not surprised her voice remained steady, even though her heart was out of control. She was disciplined enough to show no fear, even if she felt it all throughout her very being. She remained in her kneeling position and bowed to him. She practically touched her forehead to the floor out of habit. She then mentally scolded herself for so easily falling into line. _I am my own person! I am my own person!_  

“You have arrived so late,” he noted as he stood a few feet from her.

Why did he make that observation? Was he suspicious of her? She did not know, but she kept her cool. “I know. My apologizes.”

He made a noise, almost a hum. “You should have taken the flight as scheduled by the school.”

Yori nodded. “I would have, but I required sometime to myself to think.” It was not exactly a lie and she did not think Master Sensei would suspect it as anything more than what she said.

Master Sensei blinked hard, as if he did not understand her words. “What was there to think about?”

Yori pulled out one of the skills that made her such a good ninja; she lied very easily. “I was troubled by the note. I thought I might have done something to displease the school and I spent time going over my assignment many times trying to pinpoint where I might have done something to make you upset with my job.”

The elderly man nodded in understanding. “You always were a perfectionist.”

“I only wish to honor my school and my teacher properly. Have I done anything that has displeased you or embarrassed our school?” she asked, keeping her tone even and respectful. On the inside, she still panicked and was not sure how long her heart would last through this. She did not know what she was going to do if he was upset with her and taking her off of her mission.

“You have not. You are always an excellent agent,” he assured her.

“Then why such a note? You are pulling me away from my mission by having me come here,” she pointed out. If she had not done anything to displease him, he should have left her alone. What was going on?

His eyes flashed, but his face remained passive. “I am well aware of what I am doing. Now, why don’t you go to your room and get a good sleep? We can discuss this more later on.”

“Why not now? We are both here,” she said, motioning between them.

Master Sensei blinked again, staring at Yori intensely. She gulped and schooled her features to remain cool, even though her guts squirmed like a ball of live worms. She knew why he eyed her so intently. She had never even nearly argued with him, so he found it strange she said they should talk now, like she was on equal footing with him. She was ready to fidget under his gaze and found herself giving in, as she always did with him.

“Forgive me, sensei. I must be overtired from my journey. Discussing this later would be fine,” she said, saving herself from showing anxiety in from of him.

Master Sensei nodded in approval. “You should get some rest.”

She nodded in agreement and that was the end of their meeting. Yori remained where she was until Master Sensei was out of the room, as was her habit. She then exited the house on her own and almost went to her room in the dorms, but stopped herself as she remembered Shego.

 _She would be so ashamed of me_. Shego would hate the way she deferred right to her master. She hated the way she deferred to him. It was her life, but she handed it to him the moment he applied the slightest pressure.

Even though she was certain Shego would be ashamed of her, she ran right back to the older woman. She found Shego tucked away in her sleeping bag. Shego appeared to be asleep and she was about to leave the pale woman alone, but a hand reached out and grabbed her. Yori almost leaped out of her skin.

“You know better than that,” Shego teased the ninja with a smirk on her face.

Yori laughed a little. “I sometimes forget you are technically a ninja, too. Although you are much more unconventional,” she said. No ninja from her school would be found in hostile territory sleeping on their back like Shego was.

“Yeah, so come on and climb in,” Shego urged while tugging her lover toward her. She opened the bag a little to let Yori climb in. Shego hugged her close and she settled into the familiar warmth of the adoring body.

Yori sighed from the contact, sounding very contented for that moment. As soon as she was settled, she tensed just a little. “I am sorry…” she apologized.

“And what is it that you’re sorry for?” Shego inquired, sounding like she was making fun of the ebony-eyed woman. “I know you can’t be sorry for cuddling. We’re all about cuddling.”

“I am sorry because I did not find out why Master Sensei summoned me and I also fell right back into line with him. It was as if I had not spent the whole year with you and you trying to make me into my own person.”

Shego kissed the top of Yori’s head. “It’s your first time seeing him in a year. I wouldn’t expect you to act completely independent yet.” Okay, really, she would have loved for Yori to stand up to the old blowhard right away, but she guessed that was asking too much. Unfortunately, the supportive side in her would not let her say that to the ninja.

“I wish I could have just demanded he tell me what he wanted and we would have been able to leave right now,” Yori said with a yawn. She was exhausted just from being in the same area as Master Sensei.

Shego pulled her closer. “It’s fine. There’s always tomorrow. Just get some rest for now.”

Yori nodded and did that faster than she would believe. It was just that in Shego’s arms, she knew she was perfectly safe and she could easily sleep in the presence of the older woman. Shego made it seem like everything would be all right. Shego wished she could feel the same way, but now, she wondered what the hell Master Sensei had up his sleeves and what he wanted with her lover.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Master Sensei tells Yori about her new assignment.


	5. Summer School

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don’t own these characters; Disney does.

5: Summer School

Yori rose with the sun, which had been a habit she was broken of over the year she was with Shego. She frowned, realizing her programming — as Shego referred to it — was still in place, even though she thought she was on her way of becoming her own person. Apparently, that progress had just been an illusion brought on by being so far from her school. The idea made her heart sink into her chest, like it might dissolve against the back of her ribs. 

 _Will they always have this hold on me? Will Master Sensei be able to take me from Shego? Will I go… because it is the honorable thing? Or will I go because I obey everything that Master Sensei says?_ Bubbles erupted in her stomach. She hated to think that it would be the latter… even though, she feared she would be leaving Shego, no matter what the circumstances. It was like the school had a chain on her soul and could pull her back there no matter where she was and keep her there like a shackled prisoner.

She shook her head, trying to dispel those negative thoughts from her mind. She would not give up on Shego so easily, not after all Shego had done for her. The honorable thing would be to continue to fight. _I cannot lie down and die here_. The honorable thing would be to stay by Shego’s side, to stay with the woman who showed her the world, to stay with the woman who showed her love, to stay with the woman who gave her everything without wanting something in return.

 _I will not surrender without a fight. I will not leave Shego_ , Yori vowed to herself. She would stay strong, as strong as Shego believed her to be. She would be _that_ strong. 

She felt a small headache coming on from that promise because her sense of honor was now split. Her brain told her the honorable thing to do was to follow her school and the orders of her master. The school had given her so much, had saved her from a terrible life. She owed the school. 

But, her heart ordered she should remain loyal to Shego and to do everything in her power to stay with the older woman. Shego wanted what was best for her without expecting anything in return. Shego wanted her to live life to the fullest because it was her life. Everything Shego taught her made sense and she felt like she deserved to experience the world, make a choice, like others could. It was her life and she should be able to live it how she chose. Right now, she felt like she was going to follow her heart, but in the pit of her stomach, she feared she would follow her brain.

Glancing over to her side, she saw Shego’s sleeping form and felt like that was all she needed to see. _To hell with my brain!_ She was going to go to Master Sensei right now and tell him that she would stay on her current assignment. She did not care how he replied. She tore herself away from her warm bed, determined to get things over with while she had her resolve in place.

The dawn greeted her with a gentle breeze as she sped toward the school, legs burning in their effort. She entered quietly and without a problem, too determined to be subpar right now, wanting to go right to Master Sensei. She was detoured from that plan, though, when she noticed an anomaly in the courtyard. She paused, studied for a moment, and then approached.

“Ron-kun?” Yori inquired, sounding more confused than surprised as she approached the blond ninja. She squinted her eyes, thinking she might be seeing things. Why would Ron be in Japan? The image did not change — Ron Stoppable stood before her.

“Yori! I was wondering if you were here or not!” Ron declared, grabbing the kunoichi into a familiar hug.

Yori blushed as she was practically engulfed by the young man, who had grown a little since the last time they saw each other. “Uh… Ron-kun, what are you doing here?” she asked, face twisted and still pressed against him.

It seemed like the hug was lasting a little too long. She felt conflicted about pulling away, thinking he might believe she was being weird or rude, which she did not want. They were friends, after all. Friends hugged, she knew. Still, for some reason that was beyond her, she was not very comfortable with how long and how big the embrace was.

“I’m here for training, of course. I’ve got all this crazy mystical kung-fu monkey crap and I need to control it,” Ron explained with a happy smile. He still held her, even though it was not an outright hug anymore. It was still a little uncomfortable for her.

“Oh… yes…” Yori muttered, stepping away, so they were not touching any longer. She recalled hearing about Ron tapping into his true power, but she had not seen it. She really had not taken the time to wonder about it either, having too much fun being with Shego the past year to let Ron cross her mind much, except for when their paths crossed.

“So, I’m here for at least the summer to learn how to control the power. I don’t want to flip out and hurt someone seriously with it or anything,” Ron added, some guilt clouding his vision.

Yori felt her heart go out for Ron and she took his hand in hers. She ran her thumb along his without realizing it. His brown eyes got wet and sad. It hit Yori in the gut. She hated for her friend to be in pain.

“You did what you had to do to save not only the world, but Kim. You are a hero for your actions, for your bravery, and most of all for your heart. Never think otherwise. You are a hero.” Her voice was strong, confident, and so solid it was clear she spoke the truth.

Ron nodded, but there was still sorrow in his eyes. His eyebrows knitted close together, putting a wrinkle in the middle of his forehead. “I know. It’s just that when I tapped into it… it felt like it took control of me… you know?” The way his neck twitched and his face turned pale, she thought he might throw up. She knew the feeling.

“I do…” Her response was so low, she barely heard it. She wished the wind could carry it and the feeling away. During her training over the years, she had tapped into a few things that truly frightened her. It was like the power was using her body instead of her using the power. Some of the things, she learned to control, but never used again out of the fear it would take over again and have her do something she truly regretted. _I don’t want any more regrets_. She had buried enough things and refused to add more to her personal cemetery.

Ron smiled, but it did not light up his face like it usually would. His eyes remained dull and it hurt her to see him this way. “Then you understand.”

“Very well, Ron-kun.” She wished he did not understand, but he had been blessed and cursed with tremendous power. If he kept his head right and his heart pure, he would do many great things while discovering many terrifying things inside of him.

The smile remained on Ron’s face and he took Yori into a hug again. Yori returned the embrace, but something felt wrong with it. She stepped back when he finally let her go, feeling the safe thing to do between them was put some distance between them before he tried to hug her again. She regarded Ron with worried eyes, knowing something was wrong with him beyond wanting to learn how to control his powers.

“Ron-kun, I thought you were at school now,” Yori said, trying to gauge how long he was going to be there. He and Kim had college courses. She considered going, as she had missed out on years of conventional schooling, but there was so much to do, she did not think she would make the proper time for college.

“It’s summer break right now, Yori,” he replied with a strange, crooked smile. She knew there was something behind it, but she was not sure what. Right now, she really wished she was as naïve as she had been when she first met Ron, if only to miss some of things she noticed so far with her friend. Something weird was up.

“Should you not spend that time with Kim-san?” Yori inquired. She knew that whenever she had a break, she sought out Shego, and as was her understanding, the nature of her relationship with Shego was the same as the nature of his relationship with Kim.

Ron chuckled a bit, which Yori took as odd because of how hollow the snickers sounded. Rubbing the back of his neck, Ron’s cocoa eyes dropped to the ground for a moment. When he looked back up, he would not meet her eyes. She was not sure what to make of the move, but she knew he was not telling her everything. Why would he withhold information from her? She figured she would get to the bottom of that later, but for now, she needed to handle her business before she got off-task.

“Ron-kun, I need to go,” Yori said. She needed to give Master Sensei a piece of her mind while she was still certain she felt that way.

She was about to walk off, but Ron grabbed her hand before she could get away. His hand was warm and held hers so gently. She turned to look into his eyes, seeing depths she used to see in the chocolate orbs, but there was even more there. It was dark and scared.

“Stay and talk with me for a while. We haven’t seen each other for a long time since I’ve got school and Kim doesn’t really worry about Drakken anymore since you’re on the case,” he pointed out.

“Ron-kun, I need to go,” she repeated, looking beyond him to her destination. Yes, it had been a while since she last saw Ron and under any other circumstances, she would stay and let him talk her ear off, especially if it helped her get to the bottom of why he looked so troubled.

“Please.” He sounded so needy with that one word, grabbing her attention and forcing her turn back to him. His eyes begged she stay and chat with him. It was like he _needed_ her. She did not know what to make of that.

Yori swallowed hard and found herself staying to talk to Ron. They did not talk about anything in particular, but he held onto her hand the whole time. After a while, she failed to notice. He told her about his college and his classes while she told him about working with Drakken and going out places with Shego. Neither of them went into very much detail. The only thing that broke them apart was the fact that Master Sensei summoned Ron to speak with him.

“I probably shouldn’t keep him waiting,” Ron said and Yori nodded. He ran off to the master’s office.

When Ron was out of sight, Yori realized she had lost sight of her goal. She was supposed to go speak with Master Sensei first thing, but now she missed that chance. He would be busy all day with school business, as usual. She stared down at her hand, feeling Ron lingering there for some reason. She wondered what it was and why did it feel so good and so bad at the same time.

She groaned under her breath. “I have to stay focused. I have to do what is right.” But, what was right? Was it right to spend some much time talking with Ron? Talking to Master Sensei was right. Telling him she was going home was right. She could worry about Ron after that. “I have to worry about me first.”

Shego had taught her to take care of herself. She was not well versed in it, though. She was used to Shego taking care of her. It was time to step up.

Yori waited for Master Sensei to become free again, which took all day. He spoke with Ron all day. She wondered what he said to Ron, but she mostly pondered what she was going to say to him. Before, she had been certain she would tell him to take his school and shove it, but right now, thinking about it, she knew she could not say that to the man who saved her from a childhood of Hell, to the man who taught her how to defend herself, the man who taught her what honor was. She could not abandon him, could not turn her back on him. It would be dishonorable.

And, no matter who or what she thought she was, Yori knew she had honor. She would do what was right. She had been taught to do the right thing, the honorable thing. _How is leaving Shego and staying here honorable? Has Shego not given you just as much as this school has? As Master Sensei has?_ Her mind twisted, spun, and whirled. What was the right thing?

By the time Master Sensei had time to see Yori, the sun had set and she had settled on listening to what he had to say to her rather than to tell him what was on her mind. She honestly did not know what was on her mind anymore because she had spent so long thinking about why it was wrong to leave the school and why it was wrong to leave Shego. She was not sure what she should do or what she was going to do. She supposed it would be best to at least hear what her teacher had in mind for her before she made a decision about anything.

“Master,” Yori said, bowing to her teacher as she entered his sitting room.

“Yori,” he replied and motioned for her to sit on a mat that was a few feet in front of him.

Yori quickly took to the mat, sitting on her feet as she settled. “You wished to see me?”

“I summoned you for a specific reason, Yori. It has nothing to do with you performing poorly on your current assignment. In fact, it has everything to do with the fact that you are one of my best ninja. I trust you with many important things I would not leave to others. I have a more important task for you to do, more so than the one you are currently on.”

She almost arched a curious eyebrow, having seen Shego do the move more than a few times and adopted it as her own. She managed to keep the eyebrow down without as much as a twitch, though. “A more important task, sensei?” she echoed, sounding slightly confused. While most ninja would laugh at her current assignment, the thing that made it important was how much Drakken paid the school for her services. It was through that money the school was able to train the younger ninja.

“I know you noticed Stoppable-san is here.” There was an odd glint in his eyes. She would have missed it a year ago. 

Yori nodded slightly. “I spoke with him earlier.” 

“Did he explain why he is here?” the teacher inquired.

Yori shook her head. “He explained he was here to learn to control his powers, which I could have gathered on my own, but nothing in great detail. His presence has something to do with my being summoned?” she figured anyway. It might be an offer to train with Ron to help keep him focused for the time he was at the school, which should not be long. He had college. It would not make sense for him to train at the school to learn to control his powers. Something like that could take years and she could not see Ron devoting years to being stuck on a mountain away from Kim and all the fast food he loved.

“Very much so. You have mastered many difficult and grueling ninja techniques, Yori. You have been where Stoppable-san has on many occasions, more than any other student here. I would like you to start his initial lessons.”

For a moment, everything Yori learned about keeping her cool vanished. She openly blinked hard, looking like she did not follow what he meant. He wanted her to teach Ron? Not train with, but actually _teach_ Ron? He wanted her to teach the man who had inherited the highest powers in their entire art? He wanted her to teach possibly the most powerful ninja amongst them at the moment?

“Sensei… I am… flattered…” she mumbled, mind slowed by the vastness of it all. Her eyes searched his for some sign that he was only playing with her. He could not seriously be willing to handover such an important job to her.

“As you should be. This is an extremely important job, but I am certain you understand that.”

She nodded several times. “I do, sensei, which is why I do not understand why you would want me to do it. This is something you should undertake, correct?” He was the only one qualified to teach Ron. There was something wrong here, but she could not pin down what was happening. Why was he asking something so important of her? Surely such a situation should be left to his knowledgeable hand and only his knowledgeable hand.

He pressed his palms together. “I would like you to get Stoppable-san accustomed to our system and training before I handle anything intense with him. You have to remember that Stoppable-san has not trained as we do before. He should be eased into it.”

Yori was quiet for a moment. “But… Ron-kun has school. He would not be able to get accustomed to our school. He does not have the time.” He had a life outside of this place and would not abandon that life for this place. He mentioned something about training here for the summer, but she knew Master Sensei had something more long term in mind.

Master Sensei nodded. “This is also why I asked for you to take him under your wing. Convince him it would be in his best interest to remain with this school until his training is complete.”

“Sensei?” What was he actually asking of her? It sounded like something he never would have done before. Did he want her to seduce Ron to stay with them?

Calmly stroking his beard, he continued on. “He would be an excellent agent for us, Yori. He trusts you greatly and values your opinion above all others here. You must convince young Stoppable-san to stay with us and this is why you are needed here.”

“And what of my contract with Drakken-san?” Yori inquired, hiding her emotions now. She was able to understand what was going on now. Master Sensei wanted to keep Ron and he was using her to do it. She was a ninja, a tool, _his_ tool. She almost shook the thought away, but caught herself.

“Your contract with Drakken will be canceled. You are needed here now, more than ever before. I will work something out with Drakken,” he replied calmly. His voice always made it seem like what he said was the most natural way for things to be. It used to be very reassuring to her, convinced her everything he told her was right, but now it made her skin crawl. It did not matter to him that he had just blown her world apart or that he was using her in a way that was worse than ever before. He wanted to dangle her before Ron as bait and tempt him.

“You will send another agent to him?” she asked. Another agent might actually do the job Drakken wanted, which would be dangerous for the world. She was not sure if Shego would step in and stop things if they came to that. Not to mention, another agent might be able to befriend Shego, making the thief forget all about her. The latter part of the idea frightened Yori to the point where her stomach flopped and her insides trembled.

“You are most curious about it,” he noted and his eyebrow ticked up briefly. It was not like her to ask so many questions about her duty.

“Forgive me, but I have worked this assignment for a year. I have never had such a long task and I am not too sure how I am to react to changing it after so long,” she apologized, sounding as humble as he recalled.

“You did a wonderful job and the contract was able to provide many things for the school, but now you are needed here.”

Yori’s mind was overrun with thoughts and she did not know what to do with them. Her body and brain reacted automatically to her master. “Yes, sensei,” she verbally agreed, even though mentally, she spun.

“The school is depending on you, Yori. You must get Stoppable-san to remain here and train with us. We cannot risk him getting into the hands of our enemies,” Master Sensei urged her, making a fist to show they all had to be strong.

“Yes, sensei,” she agreed again. _Wait, no, should I be agreeing? Am I doing the right thing? What is going on?_ She did not have any answers for herself, only more questions.

“We will talk more about it tomorrow.”

“And my contract with Drakken-san? How will you cancel it?” she inquired, mouth getting ahead of her brain.

“I will get into contact with him soon to let him know you will not be returning. It is nothing to concern yourself with. I will handle it, as I handle everything.”

She nodded. “Of course, Master Sensei.”

“Now, as I said, we will discuss this further tomorrow. It is getting late and you may wish to speak with Stoppable-san a little more before you both have to go to your rooms.”

Yori nodded, unsure of what else she could do. It was not like she had much choice in the matter anyway. She stood up and bowed to her master before leaving his presence. She tried to fathom what was going on and what it was she just agreed to. _Did I agree to leave Shego-chan to teach Ron-kun?_ _How could I be so stupid?_

She could not believe she agreed to such a thing, but then again, she could understand why she did — beyond the fact she could not seem to disobey Master Sensei. She was Ron’s friend and she would like to help him control his frightening new powers. She did know how that could be. Underneath it all, part of her wanted to spend time with Ron. She guessed it was because they were friends, but she knew that should not override her desire to stay with Shego.

“I do not understand any of this,” she muttered to herself. It was like she chose Ron over Shego and she could not fathom why she would do such a thing.

Of course she wanted to stay with Shego, but she did not see how that was possible. Master Sensei made his decision and what he said was basically law. Her contract would cancelled and she doubted there was anything she could say or do to change that. She was a tool of Master Sensei and it was her honor to do his bidding. She could not go against him. It would be wrong. He was the man who saved her. The least she could do was help him and the school that made her who she was today.

She quickly shook her head. No, the school used her, made her a toy, and brainwashed her into being a thing rather than a person. _I knew that before I stepped foot here again and now I have forgotten_. Shego made her who she was today — a human being, someone who was cared for, someone who would be missed, someone who was allowed to have hopes and dreams of her own. A sound headache started to make its presence known, throbbing in her temples, and it felt like there were cracks in her heart.

“Hey, Yori,” Ron said, throwing off her thoughts, as he jogged up to her. He made her aware of her surroundings again.

“Oh, hello, Ron-kun,” Yori greeted him as he stood by her side. They were in one of the smaller common areas of the school. She could not believe she had been so lost in her own thoughts she did not know where she was or that someone had approached her until Ron had called out to her.

“You okay? You looked like you were in deep thought,” he noted.

“I was thinking about something. Nothing important,” she assured him with a forced smile.

“Okay. I’m glad I caught up with you. Did Master Sensei tell you about why I’m here and everything?” he asked.

“He did explain it. He would like me to teach you,” she replied. She tried her best not to sound troubled by this, but it was not working. Ron did not seem to notice her apprehension.

“That’s great!” He grinned widely and grabbed her hand, holding it tight.

She blinked hard and squinted, looking as if she did not understand. “Is it? You are going to miss school if you stay here to train.” Was he out of his mind? “This would not be some vacation, Ron-kun. You would be here for a long time and it would be grueling work, not in a fun sense.”

Ron tilted his head, regarding her oddly. “I don’t mind missing school right now and I don’t expect this to be fun. I feel so anxious inside. I need to get this thing under control.”

His words only made her squint harder. Who was this man? “And what about Kim? You would be away from her for a very long time. She would not be able to visit, not just because she is an outsider, but also because you would not need that distraction.” Yori considered he might not have thought this through.

It was possible Ron allowed Master Sensei to sweet talk him, which she was all too familiar with. He might have been taken with the honey-coated words. He did not know how Yamanouchi was, he did not know what he was expected to give up. Surely if he knew, he would never consider training at Yamanouchi, she thought.

“I know…” Ron did not elaborate on that, which Yori thought was strange.

“Are things all right with you and Kim?” Yori asked. It seemed so weird he would be willing to be away from his girlfriend for possibly years. And now that she thought about it, she had agreed to the same. _Fool_. _Damned tool_ , she cursed herself. She wanted to beat her fists against a wall in punishment.

Ron laughed; it was clearly forced. His face was tense and his eyes remained lined with trouble. Yori figured that was the answer to her question. What was going on between Kim and Ron? She thought it might have something to do with his trouble with this new power of his and his actions when the Earth had been invaded. Perhaps Kim had been uncomfortable witnessing his strength.

“Ron-kun?” Yori asked, hoping he would say something, hoping he would tell her what was going on.

“So, you’re going to teach me? That’s really great!” he grinned again and clapped his hands together in excitement. It was only when he let go that she realized he had held her hand the whole conversation.

Yori smiled, finding his light-hearted grin refreshing. It made her feel a bit lighter with her decision to see him smiling, really smiling, at her. This troubled her because she had a feeling she should not feel that way about Ron. Everything was so confusing, making her headache just a little worse with every passing second. She was not sure what she was going to do about anything anymore.

She ended up having dinner with Ron in the school cafeteria, but her headache was not helped. Ron prattled on about something, but she could not focus on what he was saying. She was comfortable around him, but that was one of the things adding onto her pounding head. Eventually, his voice was hum under the pounding in her head.

By the time Yori made it back to Shego, all she wanted to do was curl into the warm body of her girlfriend and sleep forever. Shego embraced her as soon as she showed up. She sighed as she listened to the familiar heartbeat under her ear. Each gentle thump eased the tension in her head.

“Cherry Blossom, are you all right?” Shego asked quietly as the ninja curled into her chest, wanting to go to sleep.

“I do not know…” the younger woman muttered while wrapping her arms around Shego. She pressed herself to the older woman as if she was trying to fuse them together. _Maybe this will give me strength to do what I must… whatever that is_.

“Can we go back home yet?” Shego inquired, rubbing Yori’s back just the way she liked it.

“Master Sensei wishes to talk to me again tomorrow.” _And maybe after tomorrow we can go back home. I tell Master Sensei this is a mistake. I should not train Ron and I should be able to return to my assignment. It is best for the world. He should understand that. I hope because I know I want to stay with Shego, but I do no want to worry or upset her right now_.

“What did he want today with you then?” the thief asked.

“Um…” Yori hesitated.

Shego massaged the nape of Yori’s neck. “Cherry Blossom, tell me what he wanted,” she ordered in a stern tone. Shego had a feeling something was wrong. The way Yori was pressed into her was wrong. The vibe and the feel coming from Yori was bothersome.

“He is going to cancel my contract with Drakken,” Yori whispered and then she burrowed deeper into Shego’s chest, wanting to hide from the world in the safety of her lover. Shego tensed for a quick moment, but did not react to the news in any other way, knowing she needed to maintain her cool for Yori’s sake.

“It’ll be okay, baby,” Shego promised, holding the ninja tightly. She leaned down and placed a light kiss to her girlfriend’s inky hair.

Yori made a noise and drifted off to sleep on that note, feeling exhausted from the turmoil of the day and comforted by the safe embrace. Shego sighed and tried to figure out what her next move would be. There was no way in hell she was going to leave Yori in Japan, in that school. She could not do that, so she had to think of how she would somehow get Yori away from this place.

“I won’t fail you, Cherry Blossom,” Shego vowed and she kissed the top of Yori’s head a second time. She then adjusted Yori in her arms to make sure she had a comfortable sleep through the night.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Shego is pushed to leave Japan… will Yori be with her?


	6. The Writing on the Wall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don’t own these characters.

6: The Writing on the Wall

Yori woke up still in Shego’s arms and felt settled, but that feeling did not last. Her mind raced as soon as she noticed the sun climbing in the sky. It was a new day. A day that could be her last with Shego if she did not convince Master Sensei she was not the right person to train Ron.

“I will not fail you,” Yori vowed, brushing Shego’s long hair from her face. She placed a gentle kiss to Shego’s lips. Shego did not stir, which did not surprise Yori. Some days, Shego slept like she did not have a care in the world. Yori hoped one day she could do the same. She was off, hoping to fix the damage she had done yesterday.

When she got back to the ninja school and met up with Ron, she was thrown off balance again. Something about his presence brought on a headache again. When he smiled at her and his eyes sparkled, she began to figure out what it was.

Yori realized the strange feeling that raced through her when Ron smiled at her or touched her were the remnants of the emotions she felt for him a couple of years ago. Were the emotions still there? Why would they be? Was that how the emotions worked? She had been so certain she was over him and those feelings was dead. Were the emotions coming back to life? What did that mean? The questions themselves hurt her head, and the emotions she felt from being around Ron did not help in the slightest.

“Are you okay?” Ron asked.

Yori gave him a practiced smile. “Of course.” Even his little bit of concern stirred up feelings in her stomach.

She could have sworn she was over him, but she recalled this was really the most time she and Ron had spent together alone since they met up again. Usually, they hung out a couple of hours every few weeks with their girlfriends present. This took their attention off of each other much of the time. Now, they were focused solely on each other, making nonsense conversation since Yori was not sure when she was supposed to start Ron’s training. She did not want to start his training, beyond the fact of wanting to leave with Shego. There was so much more here than Ron would ever understand.

Yori really wanted to tell Ron to get out while he could. But, for some reason, she could not. Her brain would not allow the words to reach her lips. She could not bad-mouth the school, especially not to Ron. She could see he had so much faith in Master Sensei and he really believed he would be able to control his powers if he stayed in the school. She did not want to be the one to take that from him. It seemed almost like stealing his innocence to her.

Ron did not know what kind of training it would mean to stay. He was not aware of what it meant to stay, but Yori could understand his position. She had been there many times before, staring into the abyss and shook to have the abyss staring back, but also having stars in her eyes with Yamanouchi and running to Master Sensei for help. Hell, she thought she might still be there as far as faith in the school and the master went, blinded by what it stood for rather than the reality. There had to be some reason for why she could not just run away. The throbbing in her temples started as a small, steady pulse.

“Yori, are you okay?” Ron asked.

They sat in the grass, away from the school really, but still on school grounds. She was not sure when they got there or when they sat down, too lost in her thoughts. He noticed she was not her usual self, the self he got to know over the last year. The happy girl who smiled often and marveled over simple things. She seemed subdued and melancholic, like a sadder version of the Yori he first met three years ago.

“I am fine, Ron-kun,” she lied. Her mind was still going a mile-a-minute and around in circles, making sure she continued to have a thumping headache. Everything seemed so bemusing and it was hard to focus on anything. Her stomach twisted and she almost threw up right on the spot, but managed to swallow down the burning bile. It settled like a stone.

Concern seeped into brown eyes and Ron put his hand on her shoulder, caressing her slightly. “You don’t seem fine. You seem really distracted.”

She silently argued with herself about moving his hand, but in the end, left it where it was. She did not want to seem rude and he was trying to help, like a good friend. Friends helped each other. Shego taught her that. So, should she help Ron with his powers? Was that the right thing to do?

“I… I was just thinking about how I should go about training you…” she lied again. Lying was rarely the right thing to do. But, training him was what she should be thinking about. Unfortunately, it was very far from her mind. She needed to figure out how she was going to get out of the mess she was in, but nothing came to mind.

“Well, we don’t have to jump into that right away, do we?” he asked, rubbing the back of his neck. Thankfully, he did so with the hand that was on her shoulder. He glanced away, staring into the dirt as if it would answer for her.

She blinked hard and turned up her mouth. That seemed like a weird thing to say and his detached expression only added to that. He made it seem like it was such a big deal for him to get the training, but now he was ready to put it off, like it was not a priority, as if he was not as frightened as he seemed before. He sounded as confusing as she felt. She wondered if he was just as baffled as she was and had no clue what he was doing, too.

“Ron-kun, really, what is going on with you?” she inquired. Something was just so damn wrong here, beyond her own crazed thoughts!

“Yori, I don’t know,” he admitted with a defeated sigh. His shoulders slumped and he stared out into nothing, not meaning to show such bewilderment, but unable to stop his reaction. “I just have all this power—” he started out, trying to shake off his slip, but she cut him off.

“I think there is more to it than that. I know what you had to do and I know you feel some guilt over it, but things seem even more beyond that,” she stated.

Ron nodded, but he did not say anything in response. He was not sure what he felt, except maybe muddled. He knew his life was not going right at the moment and he was very troubled by his powers and how it felt like they controlled him. What if his powers did that again, but without the world being in serious danger? What if his powers took over and he lost himself forever? Did he even have himself now? He felt useless, hopeless, and worthless.

“You can tell me your troubles,” she reminded him. She wanted to be there for him. “I told you, I have tapped into scary things before, too. But, I have also felt overwhelmed by life before, if that is what this is about.”

It touched him deeply when Yori expressed being able to understand him. It felt like she was the first person who did understand and talking with her now and yesterday let him know that she did understand. He felt better than he had in weeks thanks to that.

“You know, talking to you makes me feel really good,” he informed her, a small, warm smile gracing his features. The smile seemed to have more behind it than the usual friendliness she had come to expect from him. His eyes shined in a manner she was not accustomed to seeing when he looked at her.

She searched his face for answers, but none came. “Why?” She had to ask. She needed to know what was going on with him, why he was looking at her in such away. Talking with him made her more and more bewildered. It was like her world was flipped upside down and now turned backwards. His expression only added to that and caused the throbbing in her head to increase in pace.

“I just feel like you get me. You know?” He leaned over and put his arm around her shoulders, gently pulling her to him.

Yori glanced at the limb over her body. Part of her wanted to run, but there was a part of her that wanted to move just a little closer to Ron. The latter part figured it was all right to get close since she was going to be spending so much time with Ron anyway since she was going to be teaching him. That thought alone crushed another part of her, though. She felt like she was in a million pieces right now. The only reason she did not start crying was because she did not feel comfortable breaking down in front of Ron.

“It’s good to have someone understand me for once,” he continued on.

Yori flinched internally as she found herself even more confused. Once more, his words seemed weird. He was weird, a different weird than he usually was, and he made her feel weird. Well, that was the best way for her to put things.

There were all sorts of alarms going off in her head, but she ignored them, thinking her instincts might be off just because she was so puzzled by everything going on. This was the first time she ever ignored her instincts, but then again, this was also the first time she ever felt this perplexed about anything. Life used to be so simple and in two short days it turned into something she could not recognize. Nothing made sense to her.

“Do you get what I mean, Yori?” he asked since she was being so quiet.

“I know it is quite nice when it feels like someone understands you and tries to help you,” she answered. _Shego…_

“Yeah, it does.”

She felt like that about Shego. Shego understood her and helped her. Shego made her aware of so much, both externally and internally. She was about to ask him if it was the same between him and Kim, but he tossed that question out of her mind with his next move. Ron leaned in and pressed his lips to hers. Onyx eyes opened wide with shock, but even more shocking than his move was the fact that she kissed him back despite how stunned she was.

By the time she closed her eyes, taking in the kiss, Ron pulled away. They stared at each other, dazed for a moment. A red flush crept up Ron’s face while Yori’s cheeks felt like they were on fire. And then their eyes shot downward, realization dawning on them with what they had done. They were not about to share what was going through their minds, but Yori figured at that point her head was just going to blow right off of her shoulders because of how confused she was about everything. _Are you going to blame this on confusion? This was not the right thing to do and you know it_.

Yori felt like she had a billion questions bombarding her already aching, pounding brain. Why had he done that? What was going on with him and Kim? Why did that feel good, but horrible at the same time? Why did it feel like her dead emotions came to life, but she died a little at the same time? What was she supposed to do about this? What was she supposed to tell Shego? It was all just too much, but her mind settled on Shego.

She thought about how it felt when Shego kissed her and then she thought she should forget that. She was not going to be seeing Shego anymore, so what she did with Shego no longer mattered. Shego no longer mattered. _How can that be possible?_ Shego always mattered.

Yori tried to shake Shego from her brain. She would have to stay at the school and teach Ron, so she should put Shego out of her mind. _Wait, am I staying?_ What did all of that mean? Did that mean that she should forget Shego altogether? She did not know, but it would be impossible to forget about Shego and the way that Shego made her feel, the things Shego taught her, the things Shego helped her experience, and everything in between.

Yori put her hands up to rub her temples while sliding away from Ron. He reached out, about to put his hand on her shoulder, but he thought better of it. Instead, he moved away, too, and rubbed his face with his hand. Neither of them noticed emerald eyes perched in a tree not too far away, looking down on them. 

-8-8-8-8- 

Shego growled to herself and almost found herself shooting into the school ground to rip Ron’s throat out with her bare hands. The only thing stopping her from doing just that was the fact that Yori was right next to him. She did not want to see Yori’s reaction when she killed Yori’s first friend and apparently new love-interest. The thought of Stoppable being with Yori, more accurately the thought of losing Yori, made Shego literally vomit. Thankfully, she was on the ground when her stomach decided to send back her modest breakfast.

It was that reaction that made Shego realize she had to get away before she saw anymore kissing or intimate contact between the pair. Revenge would have to wait, even though her brain begged for it already. Her heart pled for escape and won out. She retreated as quickly and quietly as she could, not wanting to draw attention to herself. The last thing she wanted — aside from seeing Yori kiss Ron again — was for someone to see her emotionally overwhelmed and running away from a problem.

She fled back to the cabin and paced the inside of it. She was ready to pack up all of her stuff and leave Japan at that very moment. Why should she stay, after all? She was there for Yori, but Yori seemed to be there for other reasons.

 _Has she been lying to me?_ Shego felt played, played by someone she was certain could not con her way out of a paper bag in a real life setting. How stupid was she? How blind had she allowed her emotions to make her?

She did not know what to think after what she just witnessed. Had Yori and Ron been carrying on ever since they reconciled almost a year ago? Was it something that happened right now? Did either of those questions even matter? Was Yori going to stay in Japan to be with him? Why had she not said anything about him being there in the first place? What other secrets were being hidden?

All of the questions made Shego’s mind whirl. She wanted to jump to so many conclusions, but found she could not. Her mind would not allow her to prejudge Yori. Her mind would allow her to be angry, though, so she seethed.

“Damn it,” she growled and kicked at a rock on the cabin floor. The clattering of the stone echoed through the small space, somehow slamming into her with each sound. She snarled louder, sparks flickering from her fingertips.

The anger covered up the hurt, the betrayal she felt from seeing Yori kiss Ron. The lies by omission — _who knows how many there_ ’ _s been!_ — Yori told her added fuel to her fury. _She’s a better liar than I ever gave her credit for_. The way she gave Yori everything inside of her, only to be disposed of as soon as the opportunity presented itself… whether that was now or a year ago was irrelevant because the wounds were fresh. The wounds burned.

She cracked her knuckles. It took all of her self-control — control she did not even know she had — to not set fire to the whole place. It would catch attention to so many ninjas and she could fight them, take her mind off of Yori, and work out her frustration. But, would it help anything in the long run? She doubted it. _Since when do I have restraint?_ The answer to that was: since Yori. _To Hell with Yori_.

Shego sat there in the cold dark and let the wounds fester, letting Yori and darkness occupy her thoughts. Even when she made herself a little dinner, all she could think about was how pissed off she was, about how she should have never trusted a trained liar, and how she never should have given two damns about Yori in the first place. Those were surefire ways to get hurt.

But, who would have thought she would be hurt by someone who seemed like such an angel? Yori was sweet, considerate, and a little naïve. The ninja girl wanted to save the world for crying out loud. How does one get hurt by that? Apparently, Shego found a way because the more she thought on it, the more her wounds boiled, bubbled, and burned.

Yori slipped in late that night, just as she had the previous two nights. Shego was not lying down like before, instead propped up against the wall with one leg up and bent at the knee. She did not acknowledge Yori’s presence, even when the younger woman was right in her face.

Yori did not say anything, merely crawled over to Shego and then made the surprise move of the night. She pressed her lips to Shego’s, kissing her softly, but with desperation. She was stunned when Shego retreated from her mouth and pushed her away. She whimpered and gave chase to the angry thief, going in for another kiss, only to find herself being resisted again. She was lucky Shego could not bring herself to raise her hand against Yori or they would have had an actual fight on their hands.

Yori made a sound like she was crying as she tried her best to experience one of her life’s greatest pleasures. She reached out, wanting to take hold of Shego to keep her from retreating, but Shego grabbed her wrists. They wrestled around a bit with Yori trying her best to kiss Shego and touch her, but Shego was also trying her best to prevent that without hurting Yori. In the end, Shego had to flip over onto her back and hold Yori in a tight bear hug.

“What the hell are you trying to do?” Shego demanded, fire blazing in her emerald eyes. Did Yori think she was so easy? Think she could keep fooling Shego?

“I wanted to kiss you… to hold you… to have you love me again…” Yori explained in a low, tearful tone.

“You think I’m going to make love to you right now with the way you’re acting?” Shego asked with a scoff. She could not believe the ninja would kiss Ron that morning and then expect her to make love to her that night.

“Why? Why will you not love me like in Hawaii? Am I not good enough for you now?” Yori countered, tears slipping down her cheeks.

“Yori, what the hell is your problem? You can’t come in here and jump on me and expect results! I’m not your toy! Especially not after what I saw you doing this morning!”

“This morning?” Yori echoed and then she outright sobbed as she realized what her lover meant. She knew right then and there Shego saw her, knew what she did, and that made her stomach drop, fear consuming her as she wondered how that would affect her relationship with Shego.

“Yeah, this morning, when you were fucking kissing Stoppable. Was it everything you thought it would be or was he so lacking you figured you come in here and screw around with me?” Shego snarled.

“It was not like that! He is going through a rough time—” Yori tried to explain… at least she thought she was trying to explain, but it did not sound that way to her girlfriend. It sounded like an excuse to Shego and she was not going to accept that.

“Oh, so you decided to comfort him? He has a fucking girlfriend for that!” What the hell was Stoppable thinking, messing with her girlfriend when he had his own? He was supposed to be a good guy, but if Kim knew what he was doing, he would break her heart. He was no better than Yori, who apparently did not care about her own girlfriend’s feelings either.

“I know! I do not know what he was doing or what I was doing! Everything is so confusing!” Yori bawled. Tears poured down her face touching down on the dusty floor, blowing up dust like tiny wafts of mist.

“What the hell is so confusing?” Shego demanded, snarling, her hot breath hitting against Yori’s flushed, wet cheek. Yori whimpered and Shego could not be bothered to care.

“What the hell is so confusing about you having a girlfriend and him having a girlfriend? Tell me!”

“I do not know what I am doing anymore, Shego-chan! He missed me and emotions I thought were dead flooded to the surface! Would it be so wrong to be with him when I have to stay here anyway? I cannot disappoint my master, no matter what you think of me! I have no honor, no will of my own! I am nothing!” Yori’s voice broke and she coughed, heavy and hurt.

Shego was not touched, shaking her head and growling. “Yori, you need to take a step back and look at your fucking life, look at the person you want to be. I thought you knew, but then, two days into a trip here and I’ve fucking lost you that easy! You’d leave me for Ron in a second, wouldn’t you? Wouldn’t you!”

“NO!” Yori screamed and then she withered right before Shego’s eyes. “I do… not know…” she confessed in a whisper. She was not sure what she would do about anything anymore.

Shego snarled and punched the wall, breaking the wood. “How does that even sound? I’ve been with you through all of this shit and you’re ready to just give up on me that quick? Why the fuck did I ever bother with you? You’re just going to give your all to this fucking school, let them suck you dry, and then beg for more? You fucking idiot!”

Shego tore herself away from Yori and stormed out of the cabin. Yori screamed hoarsely, reaching out for her withdrawing lover. She knew Shego would not be coming back, not now, and it shredded her insides entirely. She knew she screwed up, but she was not sure how big. She cried while holding onto the hope Shego would come back to her, come back _for_ her, and they could talk about it. Surely Shego would be able to help her settle her mind and sort things out.

“I do not know what I am supposed to do. I do not understand.” Yori curled into a fetal position and wept as if that would give her answers. All it did was make her sick.

-8-8-8-8- 

Shego snorted as she paced down by the small stream. She would not be surprised if her plasma came out of her nose from the way that she felt, as if her whole body was on fire. She wanted to hit something to release her frustration, so she punched a nearby tree. Some of the pressure seemed to be gone, so she started to wail on the thick tree.

Eventually, she wore through the bark and the tree fell, cracking, splintering, and uprooting itself. After that, she dropped to her knees and panted heavily. Water welled up in her eyes, but she refused to let tears fall. She was not going to show that Yori hurt her, but she would show she was furious.

“Stupid fucking idiot!” Shego hollered, not sure who she was talking about, herself or Yori. Maybe both of them.

She should have known letting Yori come back to Yamanouchi was a mistake, but she wanted the younger woman to face the fear and to hopefully find out they would not be taking Yori away. Instead, she found out that not only was Yori not coming back home with her, but that the damn school still owned Yori. They still had her mind and could still manipulate her to do whatever it was they pleased. Their year together had done nothing for the poor ninja, except put up a paper mask, disguising the fact that she was still their robot.

“No one deserves that and why did I think a year of playing around could fix it?” Shego felt like an idiot in more than one way now.

Shego wanted to be resentful and leave Yori to the fate she was so willingly accepting, but something inside of her refused her even that small, petty emotion she was used to. Her brain insisted Yori deserved to rot for what she had done, but her heart reminded her that Yori was so impressionable and the school had manipulated her for so many years. It was unfair to expect her to be better so soon.

“Why the fuck am I making excuses for her?” Shego wondered aloud, her face twisting into a snarl as she spoke to the air. She moved to punch another tree.

She knew why she was making those excuses. She wanted to take some of the blame off of Yori by somehow making it the school’s fault. The school had not forced Yori to kiss Ron, but the school had made her seem like there was no way out, that she was going to be staying there forever, and forever at the school with Ron seemed to sound better than forever alone and a puppet. 

“Fuck.” Shego shook her head. As hurt as she was, she could not help thinking about Yori. Her feelings for the younger woman ran deep, deeper than she realized. She still wanted to save Yori, to take care of Yori.

She could only guess what was going through Yori’s mind right now, but she knew confusion was at the top of the list. Well, this was one thing Yori needed to sort through on her own because Shego would not sit around and try to clear Yori’s mind only for the ninja to find out she wanted to stay at the school or she wanted to try to give Ron a go. She believed it would be healthier for Yori to figure things out on her own too. Besides, if she saw Yori again right now, she would just blow up on her again.

“That definitely won’t help,” she said to the air.

With a deep breath, Shego figured out what she would do. She was going to do one more thing for Yori and then the rest was up the kunoichi. Yori had to learn to stand up for herself and express herself. Shego could not be her guide or her crutch anymore.

The thief pulled herself up to her proper height. She wiped her eyes to make sure any evidence of tears was gone. She then marched off into the dark, quiet woods, on a mission.

-8-8-8-8- 

Master Sensei awoke from his sleep with a start. He felt hot, needle-like points to his throat. He glanced over to his left and was able to make out a figure sitting next to him on his bed.

“These are some nice digs you got around here. I know the students don’t get anything like this,” Shego commented, looking around the large bedroom. It was decorated in dark woods with rich antiques and the teacher did not sleep on a flat futon that Yori described as her bed at the school. He had a mattress that put Shego’s to shame and she was all about decadent living.

“You do know you are a walking ghost now,” Master Sensei threatened her.

“I’ve had scarier threats in my day. I’m not too much worried about your school coming after me. You gotta admit, I can’t be that much of a pushover if I got in here without a problem, right?” she pointed out, cocky smirk on her face. It was fairly easy for her to get to him. Sometimes, even she forgot how skillful she was until she had to actually use everything she knew.

“What is it you want?”

“I want to talk business. Now, we can either discuss it using the color green or the color red.” She dug her nails into his throat just a little, so he had an idea of what red she was talking about.

“What business would you like to discuss?” he asked in a calm manner. 

“I would like to buy a ninja’s contract.”

“For how long?” 

“Life,” she stated simply. “How much would that cost?”

“That would depend on the ninja.” 

“Yori.”

“You cannot have Yori.”

Shego smirked, knowing she could have just about anything she wanted if she put her mind to it. All she needed to do was let her money do the talking, so she started up. She gave him a figure and he scoffed, so she gave him another one and she just kept going until he could not scoff anymore. When he was eyeing her as if asking if she was serious, she knew she had him. _Greedy bastard_.

“Why would you pay so much for someone who only knows how to be a tool?” he inquired with an arched eyebrow. He wondered briefly if she knew something about Yori he did not, but he believed that to be impossible. He knew Yori better than she knew herself and he was more than certain of that.

“That’s my business. Do we have a deal?” 

“We would have to finalize everything tonight.”

“Of course.”

Shego knew Master Sensei had a price, even if it was a rather high one. She did not care, though. She had done her last good deed for Yori. After that, the ninja had to make her own decisions. She returned to the cabin to find Yori gone and she suspected the kunoichi had gone to Ron for comfort. The thought cut a frown on Shego’s face and she quickly packed her belongings. She left Yori a very brief note, explaining the school no longer owned Yori and she was now free to choose her life, even if she chose to stay. 

Deep down, Shego had a feeling she would never see Yori again. Yori was a puppet and the master had tugged her strings. It was a sad and sorry fact that ate away at her insides, but it was not something she could change, no matter how much she wanted too or how much she tried. She could not force Yori to be what she wanted because that would make her no better than Master Sensei. Mind control was the worst.

“Goodbye, Cherry Blossom,” Shego said into the dawn wind, hoping the wind would carry the words to a welcoming ear. It was great while it lasted and Shego had learned a valuable lesson. It would always take more than grand living to defeat mental trauma. But, she tried.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Yori finds out what’s going on with Ron and then goes to have a talk with Master Sensei.


	7. Broken

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don’t own these characters; Disney does.

7: Broken

Yori wandered in the woods, hoping she would come across Shego. She was not sure how long she had cried, but once her tears dried up, all she could think about was finding Shego and begging Shego to tell her what to do, what would make things right. She did not find Shego, though. Nor did she find any answers.

She searched the mountain woods high and low, crying on and off while she did so, feeling hollow and abused. The sun came and went and she did not bother to return to the school. She just wanted to see Shego, but it was not meant to be. She returned to the cabin eventually, thinking Shego might be there. All that greeted her was still, stale air and an envelope waiting in the fire pit.

A lump settled in Yori’s throat as she approached the letter with true fear in her heart. She instinctively knew this letter was going to tell her that she lost what she considered the best thing in her life. _And for what_ , she silently demanded to know. It felt like she was empty. She lost everything inside of her if Shego was truly gone. She lost herself for this school. She gave herself for this school, knowing they would never return the favor, knowing they would never give her what she needed, and knowing they would never fulfill her.

“So, in the end, what was the right thing to do? If it was this, it certainly does not feel like it.” Yori scowled. This could not have been the right thing if it cost her Shego, if it made her feel like life was not worth living.

She sat down and opened the letter. Tears flowed down her cheeks like a tiny storm as she read. As suspected, she had lost Shego. It felt like everything inside of her and everything that made up who she was beyond the physical was shredded into tiny bits and drowned in magma. She let loose the most anguished wail ever and proved there was life in the forest because all sorts of animals scrambled for shelter because of the noise.

-8-8-8-8- 

Shego got home in record time and was upset with herself for going to the condo instead of returning to the lair. She had never been in the condo without Yori. It was _their_ home. It was empty without Yori. It was dead without Yori. It was a tomb without Yori and Shego was ready to bury herself alive right there, but wanted somewhere less personal to die… if only to lessen the pain.

“I’ll have to sell it,” she muttered as she looked around the living room. Surely a beachfront condo would go quickly on the market and she would never have to think about it again.

As she left Japan, her anger had given way to her anguish and she began to understand how much Yori meant to her. Yori was not just a hangout partner or a roommate or even someone for her to spoil rotten while taking care of the younger woman. Yori was even more than just a girlfriend, a lover. Yori was so much more than a label, a name, or even an emotion.

Yori was her reason to wake up in the morning, her reason for breathing, her reason for being. Yori was her heart and soul. Thoughts of taking Yori out helped her make it through rough days with Drakken. Being close to the little ninja helped keep down her raging temper. Sometimes when she was with Yori, she did not see anything to ever be upset about. Life always seemed so good. Holding her girlfriend always seemed like the greatest thing, soothing away any trouble inside of her. It was Shego’s “best thing ever!” Now, that feeling was gone and it was replaced by the flip-side of all of those peaceful and serene feelings.

She doubted she could feel any worse if she was drawn, quartered, and burned alive. The feeling surprising got worse and everything cut deeper, eviscerating her, as she passed by Yori’s room. She gritted her teeth, clutched her grinding stomach, and tried her best to override the pain with rage while making sure she did not vomit.

“I’ll send her shit later on,” Shego declared out loud, trying her best to sound angry, but she sounded like she was going to burst into tears. She felt like she might cough up all of her internal organs as she rushed past the room.

It was not until she hit her bedroom that she finally broke. She noticed Yori’s pajamas resting neatly on top of the bed, reminding her of where Yori slept right before they left for Hawaii. Shego dropped to her knees and let out a loud, dry sob into her carpet. It did not stop there. She hollered into the floor, releasing all of her anguish inside, but not feeling any better.

Curling up into a tight, little ball, she flopped over to her side. She lied there, on the floor like a helpless baby, not sure how much time passed. It felt like everything drained out of her, like she was melted onto the floor, and like she might never be able to get up again. When she finally had the strength to get up, she climbed to her feet and quickly fled her home. She left all of her things there and all of Yori’s things. She went right to the lair, hoping things would feel better there.

“Shego, you’re back! I thought you were going to be on vacation forever! Now we can get started on my next plan!” Drakken declared, rushing out to meet up with Shego. 

He grinned from ear to ear. She knew it was because he was happy to have company, which was also the reason he had a hair-brain scheme waiting. She wanted to throw herself into the work and forget everything that happened, but she did not feel up to it. She could not even figure out how she made it to the lair, so there was no way her head was in the game for anything semi-serious. She waved Drakken off as she went marching toward one of the empty rooms in the lair. She did not even think to bother with her own room since she used to share that room with Yori.

“Shego, where’s Yori? She went with you, right?” Drakken inquired with his brow furrowed in confusion, following behind her like a lost puppy. He knew Yori was with her when they left, which was why he had been so lonely for the last week and a half, but he could not figure out why Yori was not with Shego now.

“Yori’s probably not coming back, so just drop her from your mind,” Shego ordered in a hard tone while continuing to walk. She started speeding up her step, wanting to get away from Drakken before he started asking a million questions she did not want to answer.

“Not coming back? What do you mean, not coming back? She has to come back! We have karaoke in a few days!” Drakken pointed out in a bewildered panic. He balled his hands into tight fists, as if he was about to throw a tantrum, but the wrath that was about to come down on him cut that thought out very quickly.

“Who gives a damn about karaoke! Just drop it! Yori’s never coming back,” Shego screamed, finally getting to the room she wanted. She entered and slammed the door in his face, shaking the metal walls in the process.

“Shego! What do you mean? Shego!” he hollered to the door, but he did not get a response. He knocked and she did not respond. “Shego, where’s Yori? Shego!” He pounded on the door with his small fists, demanding an answer of some kind as to where the ninja was. He sounded like he was near tears himself, not liking the idea that Yori would never come back. _It can’t be true. She’s part of our evil family. We do karaoke together_.

“Just go the hell away!” Shego bellowed while leaning against the door. She slid down to the floor and hid her face in her hands. Small noises escaped her throat while salty water poured through the gaps in her fingers. 

-8-8-8-8-

Yori wandered the woods outside the school, searching for resolve she doubted she had, but she knew Shego had tried to instill in her. She had thought on everything over and over again to the point where she had a throbbing headache and she felt like she had gotten nothing done. It was all the same as it had been since she had come to back to this damned place.

“What the hell am I doing here?” Yori snarled, punching the heavy air in front of her. “What was the right thing to do?”

And then, it hit her squarely right between the eyes. How could she turn her back on the woman who would do anything for her without wanting something in return for a school that, yes, had saved her, but wanted everything from her?

 _It is all so simple. Why did I have to make it so difficult? How could I think it was honorable to abandon the one person to ever care about me just for myself? How could I not see what was the right thing?_ She had never felt so stupid in all her life.

She knew what she had to do, but before she did anything for herself, she had to help Ron. He was her friend, after all, and it was clear he was hurt. Besides, she wanted him to understand what he could be getting into if he decided to stay at the school and become a student, thus becoming an agent. He needed to know what it meant to be a ninja for Yamanouchi.

She moved swiftly and silently, sneaking back into the school. She had to sneak into Ron’s room, finding him twisted and laid out on his futon. She laughed a little and shook her head to the sight. She understood now why Shego would sometime look at her and utter the word “adorable” in her direction.

She crept by his head and sat down. She then put her hand over his mouth as she shook him awake. He yelped as he sat up, causing Rufus to roll down his chest. Ron struggled, moved, and wiggled, but he was no match for Yori. Rufus yowled as he hit the floor and was ready to give whoever disturbed his rest a piece of his mind until he saw that the person was Yori. Ron noticed who it was much sooner and regarded Yori with a puzzled look.

“Yori, what’s going on? Is this part of my training?” Ron asked while letting loose a long yawn. He sat up to be face to face with her.

She shook her head. “This has nothing to do with training, Ron-kun, but everything to do with us.”

“Us?” he echoed with a pinched face. He squared his shoulders and looked like he was fully awake. She had his undivided attention.

“Ron-kun, we shared a kiss and we need to discuss it before anything else. Shego saw us and you know she and I are together. Now, I somehow doubt you did this to cause conflict between me and Shego.” Of course, even if he had, she should not have kissed him back. She was just as to blame.

His eyes went wide. “I didn’t! I’m sorry, Yori. I didn’t know Shego was around!” He waved his hands around, as if that made his words truer.

“Regardless of that fact, you knew she and I were together, yet you kissed me, anyway. I am well aware I am just as guilty since I kissed you back, knowing you were with Kim and knowing I was with Shego. That was very wrong of me.”

Ron shrugged. “Okay…”

She expected more of a reaction from him, but knew there was something wrong with him and decided to continue. “I must explain when I kissed you, I was very confused and it was sort of a silent surrender, but I am no longer giving up. I will fight for what I want. Ron-kun, I love you as a friend, my very first true friend, but I love Shego in a way that cannot even be compared to you.” Letting her know the depths of her stupidity because she was about to let Shego slip through her fingers.

Ron nodded, sorrow painting his deep brown eyes. “Did I mess things up between you and Shego?”

She shook her head. “I caused my own problems. I did not treat Shego as she deserved and that is my own fault. I am troubled by why you would kiss me now, though. Why would you come to Yamanouchi for training now? Ron-kun, tell me, as your friend, what is going on in your life?” She sat with her feet underneath her and her hands resting on her knees, ready to hear any and everything he had to say. She would show him care and patience and hopefully save him from the fate he did not know he was signing up for.

A blond head shook and soulful brown eyes looked away for a long moment. “I’ve been feeling skittish lately. The powers thing has been bugging me, but there’s more than that, which I guess you guessed a little anyway. I don’t like being away from Kim at school and then she keeps taking these summer courses and crap, so it’s hard for us to spend time together. I don’t want to complain to her about it because I know this is important to her and I know her school is tough and everything. She’s been introducing me to all the people she’s met there and, god, let me tell you, she’s meeting some top-crust people. Everybody has a 4.0 GPA and a double-major at the least and they’re planning to be president of the universe and crap while I’m barely pushing out a 2.0 average and haven’t even picked a major yet…”

Yori blinked, taking in as much as she could about what he said. She was not too sure what a “GPA” or a “major” was, but she got the gist of what he meant. He did not think he measured up to Kim’s new friends, which was weird. He had to be used to Kim being the way she was. She always was a top achiever and knew the best of the best.

“Ron-kun, did you think running away would solve your problems or if you learned to control your massive power that would somehow balance out things?” she asked. She did not get why he thought coming to Yamanouchi was the answer to his problems.

Ron laughed a little and shrugged. “To tell you the truth, I’m not totally sure what I’m doing. I guess if I learn to control this power, I would feel more like I deserve to be with Kim and I can stand tall with all of the people she knows now.”

Yori shook her head. “Has Kim ever cared about how you measure up against others?”

His mouth turned downward a little. “Um… not really.”

“I am sure it is because there is nothing to measure up against. You are her oldest and dearest friend as well as the love of her life. You are on a whole different level compared to everyone else she knows. How could you not know that?” she asked. But, then again, how could she not know that when it came to Shego? _How could I treat her as anything less than that?_

Ron offered her a half-smile as if it was an apology. “You know, she tells me stuff like that… a lot more than she used to. I guess she’s been reading my mind.” He scratched the side of his head.

“She should be able to see how much sorrow is inside of you. She knows you best of all, after all.” Yori saw it immediately, so Kim probably saw it before Ron even processed how he felt. 

He smiled for real this time. “You’re right. I guess I just needed someone else to tell me that. Sorry I kissed you.”

“Why did you do that anyway?” she inquired.

“I don’t know! I was just going crazy inside my own head.” He made a twirling motion with his finger around his ear. “Maybe I thought I could start all over with you, so I did something stupid!” He groaned and slapped his hands over his face. He could not believe he did something so incredibly idiotic now that he thought about it. “How could I be so damn dumb?”

“You were surrendering too, huh?” she asked, eyes on the floor for a moment. 

“I think so. Everything seemed like so much and I thought I was going to lose everything, but after talking about it, it doesn’t seem like anything anymore. It’s like I overreacted.” 

Yori smiled. “I am glad. It feels the same for me. Sometimes, talking about things help more than you think.” _I must remember that_.

He nodded. “It helped a hell of a whole lot. More than I ever would have thought, but I’m glad it did.”

“Good because there is something else I wish to talk to you about and it has to do with the school. I think you need to know what they did to me before you plan to stay here too long.”

Ron blinked hard, thinking those were odd words from the ninja. “What they did to you?”

Yori took a deep breath and slowly exhaled before she started to explain how Master Sensei had taken her in after she ran away from abusive, uncaring family members after her parents died. The lies and half-truths he told her, filling her young, desperate mind with hope of a better life and doing good in the world, standing up for people who could not stand up for themselves and things like that. In return for learning ninjitsu and having a warm place to stay with three meals, she was expected to be blindly obedient and do everything that was requested of her from her teachers without ever questioning. She was taught it was honorable to do everything the school wanted of her because it was the school that saved her. That message was told to her constantly until it became her only mode of thinking. Many of the other students were the same.

“It is not just a belief for us. It is the truth. The only truth,” she said and then she took another breath. It was hard to admit. Yes, she was used to Shego putting it into words, but saying it aloud for herself made it so much more real.

She had to pause before she explained many of the things she had been talked into doing by reminding her it was her honor to obey the school. She was made to believe going on missions was the right thing to do, obeying the school, regardless of the assignment. She regretted many things, hurt many people — some who did not deserve it — and worst of all, Yori told him something she had not even told Shego. She had blood on her hands. Blood put there to save what she thought was her honor, blood put there from orders of her teachers that she obeyed, even when she thought it was wrong. Her programming made her think it was honorable, though.

“But, my thoughts did not matter. Only the school. Not those lives. Not my life. Not anyone. Just the school,” she whispered, eyes burning with shame and humiliation. How could she be so stupid? And she was going to stay here? She planned to let them keep her, even though she knew how it felt when she carried out orders she disagreed with.

“Yori…” Ron was not sure what to say. He guessed Yori understood him more than he would have ever thought. “This is what you were saying when you were telling me you understood about the powers thing?”

She shook her head and rubbed one eye with heel of her hand. She knew it would not keep the tears at bay. “I know what it is like to tap into something darker than you and larger than you, but I know other things as well.”

“I’m sorry.” He placed his hand on her knee and that was enough. It was impossible to stop the deluge building inside of her.

Tears flowed down her face. “I cannot redeem myself from the lives I have taken, but I can save you from condemning yourself. You know what it is like to take a life, but you did so to save the world, to save your love. I have done it from orders, like a mindless puppet. I do not want you to ever have to do that. I do not want you to ruin yourself and your psyche for this school. You can learn to control the powers on your own, Ron-kun. You are _that_ talented, but you have to apply yourself and dedicate yourself to it. I would still love to teach you, to help you, but I cannot do that from here. You also have Kim by your side and while she might not have powers, she is extremely gifted in all areas.”

He nodded and moved his hand from her knee to her shoulder, giving her a gentle tap. “I understand. I didn’t know the school was like this.”

“I did not expect you to know that. You were not here long enough and we painted a very rosy picture for you. Master Sensei wants you to stay, though. This is why he asked me to teach you. He knows you trust me and he knows you would feel comfortable with me as a teacher. He is trying to manipulate us both.” It almost worked perfectly.

His eyes went wide as he took in that information. “Wow, Yori, I really didn’t know it was like that here. Master Sensei seems so nice…” he muttered and trailed off, going through his mind what he knew about Master Sensei. He paused on a few memories. “But, I can see what you mean about him manipulating situations for things to work out to his advantage. I mean, that move with Hana, giving her to my parents by pretending to be an adoption agency, what the hell was that all about?”

“That is just one of his many manipulations and it was very mild compared to others. I beg of you to watch out for Hana, too. He is going to want her back soon, to train her to become a ninja for Yamanouchi. I do not wish this life for her.” Yori sniffled and her eyes shining with tears and pleas. Hana deserved a life of her own, one where she would not have to worry about destroying lives or pleasing the school.

“I’ll do my best. It’s hard to look out for her since I don’t go to school in Middleton. I mean, she’s at home with my parents all the time. When do you think he’s going to want her back?”

“Soon more than likely. He is going to want to train her young. It will let the brainwashing, as Shego calls it, set in. Because of things he told me as a child, I was easy to control and the perfect ninja until I met Shego. Everything was my honor to do because it would bring honor to this school and to the man who saved my life, but I know differently. I do not want this for Hana.”

Ron nodded and pressed his hands together in thought. “Yeah, I totally agree.” There was no way in Hell he was going to allow anyone to use his little sister, especially if it was to kill people. “I tell you what, I’m going to make a call to my parents as soon as I can and tell them that you’re going to come see Hana. I’ll tell them that you’re basically her sister and you’ve been looking for her. That way you can spend time with her and protect her in case any ninjas show up while I’m not around.”

Yori’s mouth dropped open and she grinned for the first time in days. “Would you?” Her heart jumped at the thought of seeing Hana again. New tears flooded her eyes, but they were joyful.

“Of course I would! You said she was like a sister to you anyway. You should get to see her then.”

“Oh, thank you, Ron-kun!” Yori threw herself into him, hugging him tightly.

“Careful. This is how we got into this mess in the first place,” he remarked, even though he returned the embrace.

“Thank you so much, Ron-kun. I have missed Hana very much.”

“I’m sure you have. Like I said, you did say she was like your sister. You should see her, then. You deserve to see her and be with her. So, I’ll make the call for you as soon as I get out of here. Which is probably going to be tomorrow, so I can go see Kim as soon as possible and show her I’m not as screwed up as I was the last time she saw me and move forward with her.”

Yori laughed, more because of his goofy expression than his words. They pulled apart and stared at each other for a few seconds. They both then nodded, as if reading each other’s thoughts, deciding they were much better as friends and they preferred things that way. The moment was broken when Rufus jumped on Ron’s back.

“Hey, easy there, buddy. I might need that spine one day,” Ron joked as they sat up.

“Rufus, why did you not talk some sense into our friend before this?” Yori asked.

Rufus shrugged and snickered. “Tried,” he squeaked.

“No, he didn’t.” Ron pretended to shoo Rufus away. Rufus ran up Ron’s arm and settled on his head, kicking him for good measure.

Yori chuckled. “I think I believe Rufus on this one.”

Ron shook his head. “Everyone always takes his side. It’s probably because he’s bald.” Then, it looked like he got an idea. “You know what? I have your cell phone number, so I can call you as soon as I’m done with my parents and let you know how everything goes.”

“I would very much like that. I might be occupied for the next few days. I have another mess to fix,” Yori commented.

Ron winced and rubbed the back of his neck. “Sorry about that again.”

“Think nothing of it. You were not the only one who acted rashly. Besides, I had other issues. This one merely helped everything come out and straighten things out. So, once again, you have helped me in a most unconventional manner, Ron-kun,” she quipped with a pleasant smile.

“I need to start helping in better ways because last time I crushed your spirit and this time I ruined your relationship.” Usually, his fumbling at least saved the day. Yes, he helped Yori get to some sound decisions, but he hated how he hurt her to do it.

“It is still help. I am glad I have you in my life, Ron-kun.”

He smiled and they hugged again. After that, they bid each other farewell. Ron packed his things while Yori had to go make one more late night visit. She hoped it would be the last time she ever saw Master Sensei, too. She did not owe him anything anymore.

Yori decided to show she was a much better ninja than she ever actually showed before. She slipped into Master Sensei’s personal chambers undetected by the guards. She entered the room to find Master Sensei sitting at his desk with his back to her.

“Sensei,” she said, knowing he was aware of her presence.

“Yori, you are becoming much like that woman you brought here, sneaking around places that do not concern you and showing no regard for the rules,” he commented in a neutral voice.

“You sold me to her,” Yori stated. It was not an accusation, just an observation. She was a tool, a tool could be sold like any other object. She could only wonder how much she was worth to him and to Shego. _How much money did Shego part with to do this for me?_

Master Sensei let out a long breath, as if he was sighing, like his decision weighed so heavy on his heart. She knew it was an act. He was about to act grandfatherly toward her, but she knew he did not give a damn. He was a good actor, but she could see right through the act now.

“It was a contract, like always. Nothing more than that,” he informed her.

“A contract for life. I thought you wanted me here to teach Ron-kun,” she pointed out. She was not even upset he lied to her. He was a liar, so she expected that much from him. But, there was something more here, like he thought he conned Shego. _Little does he know, she is a con artist herself and wouldn’t be taken by his tricks like a child would_.

“You can still stay. She has not called you away on any business and if she did, I would merely tell her you were unavailable at the moment. There are ways around these things, Yori. The school just required funding and I was able to get it because this woman was interested in you, but there are ways around it.” 

Yori shook her head, so now not only was he lying to her, but he thought he already figured out ways to steal her services after selling her to Shego. How was anything he did honorable? “No, there are no ways around it. You sold me to her and she requires my services. The honorable thing to do is to go to her. I am going to her, sensei.”

“Yori—” 

“Goodbye, sensei. Thank you for all the good you have done me, especially this,” she said and with that she vanished from sight. She was done with the lies, done with her strings being pulled, done with regret, and done with being something less than human. She was not going to be a tool to be used and put away anymore. 

-8-8-8-8- 

Next time: the conclusion.


	8. Love/Hate Relationship

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don’t own these characters; Disney does.

8: Love/Hate Relationship

Shego was vaguely aware of Drakken talking, but she was not sure what he was saying. His voice sounded liked an annoying hum in the background of her unfocused mind, like a washing machine running and she tuned it out. She was reclined in a chair, trying to read a magazine, but her heart was not in it. Her heart was not in anything the last couple of days, but she was trying her best to work around that.

“Shego, are you listening?” Drakken inquired with a light stomp of his foot. He knew the answer to that, but he wanted to see if she was going to admit it for once.

“No, Doctor D, I’m not listening. In fact, I couldn’t give a good goddamn what you’re talking about,” she informed him as if it was the most logical thing to say. She did not sound short or testy, just tired. She did not have the patience to play around with him right now. Did he not get that she was going through something? No, of course not, because that would involve empathy and she was sure he did not have any of that.

Drakken yelped, not expecting that blunt and honest answer. He was not sure how to take her response. It was not Shego’s usual style. He could at least work with nasty, snappy, and sarcastic. What was he supposed to do with honest and cold? She did not stick around to explain, tearing herself away from her chair and storming out of the room. He stood there, even though he wanted to chase after her, but he knew not to bother her right now.

Her moods had been horrible for the last couple of days. Drakken had a feeling it had to do with Yori not coming back. He knew his assistants were close, considering how much they hung out together and almost never wanted to take him along. He wondered what he might be able to do to get her back on her feet. 

“There has to be something. What would Yori do?” he wondered, tapping his finger to his chin.

Shego was not taking Yori’s absence well, and he knew it had to be even worse since he actually noticed it. Now, Shego was always a bit of a crank, but this was so far beyond what he was used to. She seemed depressed today while yesterday she had seemed depressed and aggressive. He was glad she was not cursing at him anymore and he was maintaining a healthy distance from her because she had manhandled him yesterday after he got on her nerves. He had bruises to go with being cursed out. He did not want that again.

He thought that getting back to business as usual would help Shego’s mood, which was why he tried to pitch a plan to her. He had thrown several ideas out to her since her return. Unfortunately, she had not paid him any mind before and still did not seem to want to hear from him. So, he chalked up his try as a failure, which made him scowl. He sighed and threw himself in his seat, trying to think of something else to bring Shego out of her funk.

He knew he could not get Yori back. The school had contacted him and told him the contract would not be renewed and was canceled, considering Yori still had time she owed him. They offered to send another ninja, but he was not too sure if he was ready to replace Yori so quickly. Hey, she was more than a ninja. She had been with them for a year, and for that year it had been just the three of them. They worked together… and did karaoke together. He could not replace her like she was a burned out light bulb. She was part of their evil family.

He had a feeling Shego would not take kindly to Yori being replaced so soon either. Dealing with her if he did hire a new sidekick too quickly would not be pretty and Drakken was not looking forward to that because he knew things would go beyond her normal tantrums. In fact, he winced as his mind came up with all sorts of reactions Shego could have. He did not want any part of that. So, he would be patient for the first time in his life and wait for Shego to return to her normal self.

“I wonder if a kitten would help,” Drakken mused, tapping his chin. Shego was not a dog person if her interactions with Commodore Puddles was anything to go by, but she could be a cat person. A kitten might help cheer things up.

-8-8-8-8-

Shego went and took a long shower, hoping it would help relax her tight muscles. But, hope continued to be worthless. The warm rain of the shower did not ease any of the tension from her body. Her guts still felt like they were twisted in tight knots, making her want to throw up. She was able to hold it down, but she still felt very sick.

“How long will I feel like this?” She had been sick of it since day one, but almost a week of it was too much. She wanted to be over it, over this weakness, over this everything.

She managed to make her way out of the shower and grabbed just her robe. She tied it loosely before crawling into bed, thinking she might be able to sleep off all of her negative feelings. No, that had not worked last night, but she figured eventually it had to work. She refused to believe she would keep feeling as she did.

“I can’t keep feeling like this,” she insisted.

It could not be possible to feel as if she was hit by a truck every day for a long period of time, she silently convinced herself. She hated that she even had to accept she felt so much pain… because of Yori. The thought made her curl her lip in disgust. She could not believe the absence of a person… the rejection of a person made her physically ill.

“To hell with Yori,” Shego declared loudly before flipping over and hitting her pillow hard with her head.

Emerald eyes closed with the hope that sleep would overtake her. Sleep did not come easy anymore. When it did, she was bombarded with images she did not care for. She prayed for no dreams since last night all she did was dream of Yori and wake up a couple of hours later in more pain than she had gone to bed with. Eventually, she had given up. She would do the same if history repeated itself.

Sleep came after staring into the void that was the dark ceiling and the resting body tossed and turned. A cold sweat conquered the sleeping form that groaned and moaned as if a horrible fever took over her mind. Covers were twisted, kicked off, clutched like a lifeline, and tore. The sight was taken in by onyx eyes, looking on in sorrow and in agony. The owner of the eyes took a step toward the bed, but stopped suddenly.

The room was filled with mumbled sounds coming from the bed and the loud, anxious beating of a frightened heart. Light footsteps then joined those noises and cloth moving did the same. Suddenly all movement ceased.

Everything was still and quiet for what felt like an eternity, but it was only a few seconds. Shego tensed and shot up, sitting at full alert. Green plasma illuminated the room, bathing everything in a gentle jade glow. It was only after igniting her hands Shego realized there were arms around her and she turned to her left… and was certain she was dreaming.

“Shego-chan…” Yori whispered, wanting to smile and cry at the same time. Was this the right thing to do? How would she be received? It did not matter. She owed Shego an explanation.

“Yori…” Shego reached out with her unlit hand and touched the smooth cheek of Yori’s face. She almost gasped as she felt soft flesh and realized this was no dream. Yori was lying next to her. “What the hell are you doing here?” she demanded, pulling away from the ninja’s embrace. Boiling hot rage shot through her body, jump-starting her system, and making her want to lash out at the person who hurt her so much. She would make Yori feel her pain.

The ninja’s eyes watered immediately, anguish tearing through her from the rejection. Her heart, mind, and soul cried out for contact from the woman she loved, knowing it would soothe away all of her agony. She was aware she had to handle things delicately or she would never experience that contact ever again and she would never stop hurting. But, how could she handle this well? She did not have a plan beyond explaining herself.

“Shego-chan…” Yori whimpered.

The glare in Shego’s eyes could have taken out legions of battle-scarred warriors and it murdered Yori’s insides. “Don’t ‘Shego-chan’ me! Not in that pathetic little voice with those teary eyes, like I’m supposed to give a good goddamn!” she roared while ripping herself off of the bed, wanting more distance between her and her tormentor. 

“Shego-chan, I am so sorry for everything that happened in the last few days! I cannot even begin to explain myself. I was so confused and mixed up!” Yori sat up completely and ready to move off of the bed. She had invaded Shego’s space. She should have known better. She expected a fight, but still felt like she would wilt at the first sign of attack. She was right.

“Oh, and suddenly you see everything with some great clarity? Did you consult the Buddha for that?” Shego snapped, still glaring at the younger woman as if she committed the worst crime ever.

Yori flinched, not used to Shego being so openly snide with her. She took a moment to breathe and settle her shredded spirit, reminding herself that she brought this one herself and she needed to remain calm to fix this mess. She kept eye contact with Shego, who kept the room bathed in green light. She could be strong. She could be brave. She could be the person Shego taught her to be.

“I do see everything in great clarity. I see I need you. I love you. I never knew what it was like to love someone as I do you, nor have I ever known the type of love that you give me. Your desire for me, your want for me to have my own life and will is my reason to get up in the morning. I want everything you want for me and I also want things for myself. I want to be with you,” Yori declared with a hand to her heart, as if that made her words more sincere. Tears slid from her eyes, but Shego did not react to them.

“And when your school comes a-calling?” Shego snarled. She would not be second, especially to assholes like Yamanouchi.

“I am not tied to the school anymore. Thank you for buying my contract and then giving me my freedom,” Yori said. Yes, Shego had purchased Yori from the school, but then left all the paperwork with her letter for Yori. The paperwork was her last gift to the ninja… or so Shego assumed, but Yori would like to prove that wrong.

Shego rolled her eyes. “I figured you’d give that shit right back to the damn school.” She honestly thought Yori would give all of that paperwork back to Master Sensei and happily do whatever he said for all eternity, even though she wished for Yori to take the papers and go live her own life the way that she wanted. It was up to Yori, though. She did not expect Yori to come back to her.

“No. I have it with me and that is what I would do if my school ever came calling. I would tell them that they no longer own me. I am my own person. I want to be my own person with you, though. You bring out the best in me. I am sorry my best and my will went into retreat while we were at Yamanouchi. I was so overwhelmed… and it all happened so fast…” A sob erupted from the ninja’s throat.

“You’ve got a lot of nerve crying! What do you have to cry about?” Shego’s voice thundered, sounded loud enough to bring down the heavens. And when she threw her hands out in anger, causing the light in the room to shift and brighten as her fury charged through her, it was like she called forth lightning like the gods of old. Part of her wished she could smite Yori, strike her down, and end her torment, but she knew that would only make matters worse.

“I am crying because I fear I have lost you! I need you so much, I want you so much, and it hurts deeply knowing I might have lost you because of my inability to think. I am begging you… begging you! Forgive me!” the ninja pled, tears pouring down her face and her hands thrown out like a beggar.

Yori picked herself up from off of the bed and took shaky steps toward Shego. The pale woman was set to flee farther, but decided to stand her ground. She wanted to see what the kunoichi’s next move was. She was not sure why, but she was surprised when Yori halted right in front of her and dropped to her knees, bowing down to the thief.

“What happened? Did your pretty boy buffoon decide to stick with Miss Perfect?” Shego sneered, her words as venomous as the glare that remained rooted in her eyes. Let Yori confirm that and Shego might actually incinerate her, consequences be damned. It was one thing to be a second choice, but to be second to Stoppable. She would rather pluck out her own eyes.

Yori’s eyes searched the floor for a moment, confused by the names. When realization dawned on her, she was able to answer. “I rejected him. He is my friend, my first friend. Our actions were wrong and I will make no excuses for them. If you wish for me to explain why it happened, I will, but if you do not want to hear it….” She sniffled. “As I said, I make no excuses.”

“Tell me… was I not enough?” Shego asked, accidentally adding that last bit. She sounded so quiet, small, and scared.

Yori’s heart tore. What had she done to Shego? “No! You are more than enough! My mind was just whirling and I thought I would be staying at the school. I was… I was giving up,” she confessed with a sigh, shame weighing down her shoulders and pouring out of every inch of her. “I just was going to give up.”

Shego’s jaw tensed and she could barely open it to get her question out. “Why?”

“I felt powerless and it was the honorable thing to do… or so I thought at the time. I thought I should be loyal to the school then.”

“And now you think that you should be loyal to me?” Shego demanded in a tight voice. “I should’ve been first! Now, all of a sudden I’m at the top of the fucking list! Why? Because I bought your fucking contract? Is that it? You’re loyal to the damn contract?”

“Of course not! How could you even say that?” Hot, ugly tears gushed from Yori’s eyes.

“Because not even four days ago you didn’t give two damns about me and now all of a sudden I come first? Give me a fucking break! Why now?” Shego screamed, needing reasons like she needed air. Maybe knowing why would help her move forward, help her shake away this heavy weight that was Yori.

Yori’s face was bright red. “You are right! You should have been first, but I did not realize that until you were gone! I can live without the school, but I cannot live without you! I am not alive without you! I am best with you!”

Shego growled and made a tight fist. She then leaned down and snatched Yori to her feet by her shirt collar. The ninja almost flinched, but caught herself. A whimper escaped her throat because she did not know what the raging thief might do and she feared the worst. She considered she might deserve the worst. They stared at each other hard.

Shego glowered down at the younger woman, trying to decide if she had it in her to smite Yori now. Tears continued to flow from Yori’s eyes, imploring her lover to believe her. There would be nothing left if Shego did not believe her.

“I love you…” Yori whimpered, voice cracking with sincerity.

“You figured that out on your own?” Shego inquired because it did not seem like something Yori would know without help.

Yori nodded. “I did. I am in love with you, Shego.” Her eyes begged for Shego to believe her and her voice was raw with desperation.

A snarl tugged at Shego’s lip, looking as if she had been thoroughly insulted. “How the hell do you know? How the fuck do you know what the hell love is? A fucked up a kid like you wouldn’t know love if it bit you in the ass!”

Yori winced as if she had been punched in the face, but she quieted her hurt by silently telling herself that she deserved Shego’s wrath considering what she put the thief through. “I know I am in love with you because of all the emotions that went through me when you pushed me away, when you ran out of my life! What I feel for Ron-kun could not even be compared to what I feel for you!” Her voice cracked again and fear caused her to tremble, thinking it was possible for Shego to send her away. She did not know what she would do without Shego in her life and she did not want to think about it.

Shego was quiet and still, her body shaking just as much as the kunoichi’s form. Yori was patient, but her tears did not cease. Her eyes shined while she cried, imploring they try again. Shego felt something inside of her splinter while looking into the begging eyes of the younger woman. She could practically hear her anger shatter, overcome by so many other emotions. Slowly, Shego wrapped her arms around the ninja and held her. They both breathed sighs of relief as they were pressed against each other.

“I need you, too. I hate it, but I want it, too. I hate what you can do to me, but I love what you do to me, too,” Shego whispered into the ninja’s ear. That was the truth and it was something she would have to work on. She held Yori close to her, as if she was scared Yori would flee from her again. She could not let that happen, she told herself. She could not let Yori go, not after the way she felt the past few days. “But, you should know I won’t take this a second time,” she said in a low, serious tone. She would burn everything if she was made to feel this small and helpless again.

“I never meant to hurt you and I will do my best to never hurt you again,” Yori muttered, burying her head into the older woman’s collarbone.

“I know.” Shego kissed the top of Yori’s head.

“I will never take you for granted again and I will fight for us from now on. I will fight for myself from now on. I know what I need and I know what is best for me. I will always fight for us.”

Shego nodded to show she believed Yori. She had to believe Yori because she was too emotionally tired to fight anymore. Besides, she thought it said a lot for Yori to have come back to her so quickly. Maybe Yori was finally breaking the spell the school had over her. Shego found she was not only willing to take the risk, but that she had to because she wanted this pain to go away. There was no other way for her to cope but with Yori in her arms.

“I know why you wanted me to live and I want to live. I deserve to live,” Yori said, head still buried against Shego.

“You do.” No matter what, Shego would always believe that.

They stayed like they were, wrapped in each other’s arms, for a long time. Time really meant nothing to them at the moment as their emotions calmed down and settled enough for them to feel human again. Eventually, they ended up back in bed, curled against each other. They fell into a deep, peaceful sleep with their hands, feet, and limbs entangled as if they were afraid if they were not touching the other would vanish as they slept. 

Upon waking, Yori stared at Shego as if she was trying to will her awake. It seemed to work because Shego stirred a couple of minutes later. Yori smiled before placing a gentle kiss to a willing mouth. And then she yelped and pulled away.

“Am I allowed to do that?” Yori asked. She was not sure how these things worked. Had they broken up and gotten back together? Was that what happened a fight? When was it all right to go in for kisses and touches without having to check to make sure things were all right?

Shego ran her fingers through Yori’s hair. “I’m glad you asked.”

“I am trying…” Yori trailed off because she was not sure how to explain herself. “Are we still together?”

Shego yawned a little and nodded. “We are still together.”

Yori breathed a sigh of relief. “Good.” She moved to rest on one elbow and gazed into emerald eyes. “Shego-chan… there are some things that I wish to tell you.” It was time to trust Shego with everything about her. 

Shego groaned. “You have to make your confession so early in the morning?”

“I want you to know everything about me, just like I want to know everything about you.”

Shego yawned and nodded. “I guess that would be a good way to start this new phase of our relationship. Hit me.”

Yori took a deep breath and went through her history. Shego quietly listened as Yori explained some of the worse things she had to go through while living at Yamanouchi, but also some of the best. She did want Shego to understand that things had not been all bad. Shego already knew that, but she let Yori recount everything. She held the younger woman when Yori teared up as she spoke out taking lives for the school. She had slain three people in her life and hated herself for it.

“It’s okay, Cherry Blossom. It’s okay,” Shego whispered onto her ear while rubbing her head. Shego hated that school all the more. Who stole a kid’s innocence like that?

“I was a puppet… a tool… a fool,” Yori sniffed, burying her nose in Shego’s neck for a moment.

“You aren’t that anymore, though. You weren’t responsible for your actions then either. You were a tool and if someone uses a hammer to kill someone, it’s not the hammer’s fault,” Shego tried to assure her lover. God, she had a lot of work ahead of her with Yori, but she would stick it out. She had to. She needed Yori as much as the ninja needed her.

Yori nodded, but her tears continued to flow. “I have a little sister…”

“A sister?” Shego echoed in shock. It would seem her Cherry Blossom had been keeping a lot of things secret for the past year.

“Well, she is not related to me by blood and I have not seen her in almost two years, but I took care of her when she was a baby. Master Sensei gave her to Ron-kun’s family,” Yori explained.

Shego snorted in anger. “Why do I have a feeling this is more of his manipulative bullshit?”

“I am not too sure what his plan is by having the two together, but Hana is probably more powerful than Ron-kun, even if he masters his monkey powers. I know Master Sensei would want those powers on the side of Yamanouchi, just as he wanted Ron-kun.”

“Do you want me to get her back for you?” Shego asked, already working out a plan to steal the child.

Yori shook her head. “Ron-kun and his family love her as their own. I would not deny them that. I would not deny her a loving family either.”

“We could be a loving family,” Shego said and then flinched. That sounded way too much like Drakken for her tastes.

Yori smiled a little. “Yes, we could, but they love her as their own. She does not want for things with them and they are all happy. I can live with that. Ron-kun has promised to speak with his parents, so that I might be able to visit her and I have promised to protect her from Yamanouchi when they decide to take her back. Would it be too much to ask you to come with me when I do visit?” Dark eyes sparkled like polished obsidian.

“No, it wouldn’t be asking too much. I’ll also be there with you when you have to protect her. I know a thing or two about being a big sister, too, so I’ll help you out with her.” Her brothers might get on her nerves, but heaven help whoever tried to hurt them.

“You’re a big sister?” Yori asked in shock.

Shego chuckled a bit. “I guess there’s a few things I need to tell you.”

Yori smiled and cuddled up into Shego as the thief started talking about her past, stunning the ninja with the news she was once a hero. She talked about her brothers and her split with them. She even confessed she missed them from time to time.

“Perhaps… we could visit them. I would like to meet them,” Yori said.

Shego shrugged. “We’ll see about that. I need to prep you before you meet my crazy kin.” She probably would need to threaten her brothers to make sure they treated Yori right upon first meeting as well. “You make sure you let me know when Stoppable calls you with the okay to see your little sister. We’ll go over there that day, okay?”

Yori grinned and was so overjoyed she could not speak. So, she went with something better than talking and kissed Shego soundly on the lips. After that, she settled comfortable against the older woman.

“You are a wonderful person, Shego-chan.” 

Shego rubbed Yori’s shoulder. “Nah, you make me that way.” It was one of the reasons she felt the need to keep Yori around. “Now, as much as I hate to say this, but let’s get out of bed and get showered. After that, I’m going to treat you and Drakken to some breakfast.”

“Treat Drakken?” Yori echoed with a puzzled expression. She could not recall the last time her girlfriend was openly nice to their employer.

“Yeah, the goof’s been trying to cheer me up since I got back, so I guess I can show him I noticed the effort. And I was sort of mean to him, so I might owe him an apology he won’t get, but pancakes and hot chocolate should be close enough.” She felt bad for being so mean to Drakken, especially when she manhandled him a couple of days ago. He did not deserve that for once in his life.

Yori grinned and agreed. They got out of bed and prepared for the day. Drakken almost jumped into orbit when he saw Yori and could not stop babbling because of his joy. He actually clapped while trying to explain to her how happy he was to have her back. It did not help matters when Shego invited him out with them and he rambled all the way through breakfast, smiling like the happy madman he was through it all.

Shego and Yori just let him go, smiling as he spoke a mile a minute. Yori was even polite enough to pay attention to him every now and then, adding to the conversation. He giggled whenever she did that. To complete the day for Drakken, Shego actually went to karaoke with him and Yori. She refused to sing, though.

And true to her word, Shego went with Yori when Ron called and said his parents thought it was a great idea for Yori to visit with Hana. Yori burst into tears when she saw how big the child had gotten since she last saw her. Hana was a toddler, going to be four soon, and she did not remember Yori at all, which got a new set of tears from the ninja.

“It’s all right,” Shego whispered to Yori while rubbing her shoulder. “She’ll get to know you again,” she promised. She then turned her attention to the Stoppables. “Would it be all right for us to take her out for about an hour? Just so Yori can get a little time in with her?”

“How about we start small? Get to know her some place she’s familiar with first. You don’t want to take her out, only to have her cry the whole time because she’s scared,” Mrs. Stoppable reasoned. “I’m sure that would only hurt Yori more.” From what Ron told her, she knew he would want to spare Yori any more pain in regards to her little sister.

The green-skinned woman nodded to that logic. The Stoppables vanished somewhere in the house and Yori was able to start building her relationship with Hana all over again. Shego looked at the pair and shook her head while smiling. Drakken would get a kick out of this; there was a baby in their “evil family” now. As Shego watched Yori, sorrow gradually being replaced with joy, she could not help thinking how right everything was at the moment and she was able to let go.

“Let me show you two how to build something with blocks!” Shego suddenly declared while taking a seat with the pair, who were playing with building blocks. Yori smiled, which caused Hana to smile.

They did look like a little family, Yori noted, and she was thankful for that. She silently vowed to do everything in her power to protect her family and keep them together. She was going to be a sister to Hana, like before, and she was going to be the best girlfriend she could be for Shego. She was going to be her own person, she silently declared, and she reached over to take Shego’s hand.

Shego looked down at the hand holding hers and then turned to the owner of the hand. She smiled at Yori and the expression held so much promise. They were going to make it.

-8-8-8-8- 

The end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thanks to my betas, Ken-zero and Faioxromokitoma. Much love to them and to my readers. I’m going back to my padded cell now. Hopefully, you’ll all be back for the next story.
> 
> If you wanna see more of my fanfics, they're all at FFN under [StarvingLunatic](https://www.fanfiction.net/~starvinglunatic). If you wanna see some original stories, you can look at FP under [StarvingLunatic](https://www.fictionpress.com/u/576301/).
> 
> Come say hi to me on [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/SL-Kassidy-482097488469386/).


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